James and Oliver Phelps, 38, are identical twins who were born in Birmingham. The pair played Fred and George Weasley in all eight Harry Potter films and have continued to work as a duo on other projects, including the podcast Normal Not Normal. Both live in London; James with his wife, Annika, and Oliver with his wife, Katy, and their two daughters, Autumn and Emilia.
Oliver
When we were filming Harry Potter we stayed in fancy hotels six nights a week, but the novelty quickly wore off. The film studio was in Watford, so the two of us, along with six or seven other cast members, stayed in apartments at Sopwell House in St Albans. We became part of the furniture there and it got to the point where we would jump behind the computers to check ourselves in if there was a queue. We are still good friends today with lots of the staff who worked there at the time. While I’d prepared myself for the final day of filming after 11 years, I hadn’t prepared myself for checking out of the hotel for the last time — it felt really strange.
Oliver Phelps as George Weasley and James Phelps as Fred Weasley in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
WARNER BROS
We had some funny times when staying at the Charlotte Street Hotel in Fitzrovia too. I vividly remember having breakfast one morning when another guest got part of the tablecloth stuck in his trousers. As he got up to leave, he took the entire tablecloth and its contents with him. He didn’t stop walking and just continued to make his way out of the restaurant like nothing had happened. There was scrambled egg and bacon everywhere.
Recently we travelled to Husavik in Iceland with Bonnie Wright, who played our younger sister, Ginny Weasley, in the Harry Potter films. We were soaking in a hot spring one night just after sunset when, completely unexpectedly, ribbons of green and blue appeared overhead and we realised the northern lights had decided to put on a show for us. No photographs could ever do the sight justice. I get goosebumps remembering it.
The northern lights in Iceland, where the twins travelled with their on-screen sister, Bonnie Wright
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I’ve had a few shameful incidents on holiday too. One New Year’s Eve I was watching the fireworks on Sydney harbour with my wife, Katy. A few minutes before the clock struck midnight a guy started to bug me for my space. Being stubborn I didn’t want to give it up and miss out on a romantic moment, so I refused to budge. Eventually I moved to one side when the fireworks had finished and there was just a cloud of smoke left. The guy proceeded to get down on one knee and propose to his girlfriend, with not a firework left in sight — I felt terrible. It’s amazing how an experience like that can tarnish the memory of a place.
James
For me the biggest perk of being a twin is being able to order food and drink in a hotel and charge it back to my brother’s room; I usually find a place to watch him discover what I’ve done whenever he checks out. Another perk is that there’s always someone to explore with. We had to do lots of publicity tours around the world for the Harry Potter films and while lots of the cast would be happy chilling in hotels, we’d be itching to get out and see what a destination was all about.
The Louvre Pyramid, designed by IM Pei, in front of the museum
ALAMY
There would be PR teams we’d work with in each destination who would be keen to show off their city. In Paris we were both dying to see the Louvre, but were gutted because it was closed on our only day off and we assumed it was a no-go. Then, at 9am, we had a knock on our hotel room door. Somehow someone had managed to open the Louvre just for us. It was incredible having all of that space to take in the art properly, but we can never go back — it wouldn’t be the same having more than three people in one room.
While Oliver prefers more relaxing holidays, I love anywhere with a mountain range that I can hike or bike. It’s always the best way to meet people. When I was in Switzerland, riding my bike in the Alps, I stopped at a coffee shop for a quick breather and chatted to the owner. We became so friendly that he took me out for dinner that night with his family.
James prefers mountain holidays for hiking and biking
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I always find that the best way to see a country is to get lost. A few years ago I went to Osaka, which felt like Tokyo 15 years ago — way less westernised. I got on a train and decided to get off when the locals did, ending up at a temple where we made rice on a tiny cooker and all tucked in together.
Dubai is full of surprises too. If any friend is heading there I’ll tell them to visit Deep Dive Dubai, the world’s deepest diving pool. It’s an incredible underwater town 60m below the surface where you can scuba dive and play pool or attempt to drive a car.
Irish country pub in Co Donegal
ALAMY
I went to Donegal in Ireland a few years ago with Oliver and Evanna Lynch (who played Luna Lovegood in Harry Potter). I’ll always remember one night in particular where we ended up as the only English people taking part in a lock-in at a tiny pub. The whole town heard we were there and came out to see us — even the local schoolteacher was there playing his fiddle.
The second series of Fantastic Friends, hosted by James and Oliver Phelps, is available to stream on Virgin TV Ultra from May 23 (virginmedia.com)
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