Harry Potter: Neville Longbottom actor stuffed cheeks with ‘vile’ sponges after losing weight between films

Actor wore false teeth, oversized shoes and mouth padding that ‘absorbed saliva’

Actor Matthew Lewis has described how he was forced to alter his appearance after losing weight between two Harry Potter films.

Lewis played the role of Harry’s put-upon schoolmate Neville Longbottom in the hit fantasy franchise.

Speaking to Metro, Lewis revealed that he had lost a visible amount of weight between the productions of Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban. 

“It was a slightly longer break than normal because they had shifted from a winter to a summer blockbuster,” he said, “and when I came back I was much taller than everyone else and, I guess, thinner than I had been.” 

While the series recast some roles over the course of its eight-film run, Lewis said he was assured by producers that he would be kept on, but “they had to do something”. 

“They tried stuffing my cheeks with cotton wool, which was disgusting, then they cut these bits of sponge from creature effects and put them in there,” he recalled.

“But they just absorbed saliva so after a full day that was f***ing vile! Then I had the shoes that were two sizes too big, the plastic behind the ears to make them stick forward, the false teeth…”

Lewis joked that he would “probably love that stuff” now as a means of “getting into character”. At age 14, however, he “was like, f*** this”.  

The actor’s latest film, romcom Baby Done, is out now on digital platforms.