When you think of Harry, Ron and Hermione, and it's hard not to picture Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. The Harry Potter movies were perfectly cast - 1,000 points to Warner Brothers! Over a decade, we watched the actors grow up from wide-eyed children into grim young adults, maturing along with the story.
However, the movie versions of literary characters are not definitive. As time goes on, we'll see new interpretations, through inevitable remakes and reprints of the books with new illustrations. In fact, we've already seen a different take on Hermione Granger. In the stage play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, a black actress plays Hermione in every production.
Once the casting was announced, some Potterheads objected. On Twitter, they asked J.K. Rowling why a black woman played Hermione, and claimed "this isn't a race issue, but a continuity issue." (Yeah, right.) Rowling responded that the only thing "canon" is that Hermione has "brown eyes, frizzy hair and is very clever." White skin was never specified," wrote the author. "Rowling loves black Hermione."
Northern Ireland-born illustrator Sophia Canning was inspired by the play's casting, and drew a "black Hermione piece" in 2016. After receiving "several racist comments," she chose to double down. "I decided that, instead of arguing with them, I would draw her again but happier and with bigger hair," Sophia told As/Is. "Given the response, I’d say that was a good call."
Sophia shared her new illustration on Twitter, and it went viral, getting over 200,000 likes. People called it the 'most beautiful and realistic' Hermione, and couldn't believe it was a photo.
Sophia captioned the image, "a quick Hermione, living her best life." One Twitter user said she couldn't imagine it was quick, because "it obviously took a ton of skill." Sophia responded, "I usually spend a full day on a piece, but this one was only 3-4 hours because I was just doing it for fun. That might be a long time for some people but for me thats very fast, I wasn't trying to brush off my skill or time!"
Sophia revealed that her inspiration was beauty and style influencer Jasmine Brown.
She added she would have given Jasmine a copy of Hogwarts: A History as a present. However, Jasmine's already read it, so credit will have to be enough.
One Twitter user pointed out the best detail in the photo - the S.P.E.W. badge.
In the movies, they cut out Hermione's subplot with S.P.E.W. - the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. (Hermione starts an organization to champion the rights of house-elves, after noticing how badly they're treated.) To Sophia, Hermione's activism is an important part of character.
But the teeth are great too.
And hair.
And it was all Photoshop!
One Twitter user wished that Hermione was black in the movies, and that the franchise had greater representation overall. (Maybe all the gay characters were hiding under Invisibility cloaks?)
Like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter will live on from generation to generation.
Well, great job, Sophia! 1,000 points whatever house you're in! (And if they ever make #BlackHogwarts into a comic book, you should illustrate it.)