Harry Potter had quite the crush, at least the actor who played him did. Unfortunately for that actor, Daniel Radcliffe, his crush was not cast in the 8-part movie series….but that didn’t stop Radcliffe from having a Cameron Diaz photo play an off-screen role in the films.
The photo came into play during the filming of many Quidditch scenes as the actors had to sit on a bike saddle attached to a metal pole because they none of the actors had learned to fly brooms yet.
The Diaz photo story is told in Tom Felton’s just-released memoir, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard. Felton played Potter’s fellow student and adversary, Draco Malfoy.
Felton explains that the actors needed something to make sure that all of them were looking at the same spot where the Quidditch ball would be. The crew achieved this with a tennis ball attached to the end of a pole. The only problem was that the scenes called for more than just Quidditch balls and there was more than one Quidditch ball, anyway (Quaffles, Bludgers, and the Golden Snitch).
There were also other objects they had to stare at, such as a dragon. On those occasions, filmmakers eventually allowed the cast to choose pictures and it could be of anyone or anything they wanted. Felton explains, “We chose pictures of something or somebody close to our hearts. Daniel Radcliffe had a picture of a particularly beautiful Cameron Diaz.”
Diaz was well known as Radcliffe’s crush by the cast, and as of an admission earlier this year — also by the public.
Felton did not explain whether or not the photo of Diaz distracted Radcliffe, though we are certain any falls from his broom that Radcliffe suffered were all scripted.