I remember talking to Daniel Radcliffe, who was wearing a Libertines T-shirt on the set while he was out of costume, and he marveled at the creepy success of the “Potter” creature creators. “I think it’s [the Inferi] the scariest of any of the creatures we’ve had in any of the movies, and that’s saying quite a bit, isn’t it?”

Radcliffe was an absolute delight, as were Emma Watson (who had just gotten her driver's license) and Rupert Grint (whose dressing room had a ping-pong table and a clutter of other games). I told David Heyman, the "Potter" franchise producer, that the casting decision that put those three young performers in the roles back at the start of this decade will be remembered as one of the great decisions in show biz history. The movies have so far averaged more than $280 million each.