The Weasley twins were here— and they ate ‘sisig’ and adobo
Oliver and James Phelps, popularly known as the Weasley twins George and Fred in the “Harry Potter” movies, were recently on a business trip to Manila, where they also got to try out well-loved Pinoy dishes chicken adobo and sisig.
The British actors flew in late from Singapore on Nov. 18, and since they had a little bit of downtime the following morning, the twins said they were able to walk around the area of the hotel they stayed in and had some “good food” for lunch.
“Wherever we travel, we like to go where the locals go and eat what the locals eat,” James told reporters. Oliver said they often leave it up to the waiters to recommend dishes, “so we get a lot of stuff but don’t necessarily know what they are.” The Phelps were here for the Asian launch of the streaming platform Max, where the entire “Harry Potter” series is currently streamed. They are also promoting the reality cooking show “Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking,” where they serve as hosts.
The two revealed that while all the contestants are based in the United States, quite a few of them are from different parts of the world, like Miko Kaw Hok Uy who is from the Philippines. “In one of the episodes, he incorporated one of your local foods,” Oliver said.
The series is shot at the Warner Bros. Studio in Leavesden, England, home of the “Harry Potter” series. Nine teams battle it out to create magical pieces and show-stopping bakes in memorable locations depicted in the franchise, like The Burrow, The Great Hall, and Gringotts Wizarding Bank. The show promises to be a combination of storytelling and a showcase of fantastic creation.
Conceptual cooking
Oliver explained how storytelling figured in the show. “Basically, the contestants come up with concepts, and then we follow the process of how they do it. We had monitors where we saw how they worked in unison. These guys didn’t know each other until they started the show, so you also see the relationships they’ve formed—and that’s the cool thing!”
For James, what’s really impressive was how the story of every individual was told while competing. “You learn that some of them are self-taught, that some of them went to culinary schools. There are also some who got onto it very early on, like when they were 16 while others were in their 40s when they took it up. So, I hope that people watching it will think, ‘I’ve always had that passion, so why not give it a go?’”
When we heard that the show is hosted by the Weasley twins, who are known pranksters, we imagined they would be sneaking vomit-inducing ingredients into the kitchen or stealing kitchen tools to make the contest more challenging. However, the Phelps brothers said they were sorry for bursting our bubble “because we’re not characters in the show. We are very much as we are,” said Oliver.
“We do have a bit of a sense of humor about us. The best joke we would have on the set would be giving them fake call times. While they really got three hours, we would tell them they only have half an hour. They would laugh and throw rolling pins at us,” he recalled. “We [joke around] when the cameras weren’t necessarily rolling, because that’s not our job on the show. Our job is to be the link from the audience to those guys.”
Sense of humor
“Sometimes, the cameras would be rolling, too,” interjected James, adding that he understood how stressful it could get in the kitchen, and so they do things to make the contestants feel a bit more at ease. “Ultimately, we didn’t mind who won—because we wanted everyone to win—as long as everybody did their absolute best.”
Oliver added: “We got to develop relationships with these guys when we started hearing more about their backstory, and their families. So, imagine when we got to the part when we’d ask, ‘Who’s going home?’”
The Phelps twins were the guests of honor during the recent launch of Max in Asia (Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Chinese territories Taiwan and Hong Kong). They participated in the Christmas tree lighting ceremony held at the Bonifacio High Street Central Plaza in Taguig.
“It’s such a big moment—the fact that it was launched to so many people, that we’re the ones who got to literally press the button,” said Oliver. “It’s something that we’re so proud of—to be a link from our world to everyone else.”
Following the events at the mall, guests were treated to a “Harry Potter” dinner at the nearby Shangri-La at the Fort. The hotel’s grand ballroom was transformed into The Great Hall, the main gathering area at Hogwarts castle. A portion of it was also turned into the Honeydukes sweet shop, Diagon Alley, and the famous Platform 9 3/4!
Here are excerpts from the interview with the Phelps brothers:
What was it like going back to the “Harry Potter” set to shoot a new show?
James: We filmed “Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking” a couple of months ago. It’s hard to believe that so many years had gone by since we were there. It’s quite eerie in that regard. It felt like I was 14 again.
How does it feel that, after all these years, you’re still known as Fred and George?
Oliver: It’s something that we kind of got used to. It doesn’t matter where we go on the planet, it’s just one of those things that people know. I think we’re very fortunate to have played these characters, who are so beloved. I think people just want to hang out with Fred and George to pick their brains about pranks.
You’ve already embraced it, yeah?
Oliver: I think you can either push against it or embrace it. We’ve learned over the years what the characters mean to people. We could be at a football game, or at a concert, or simply walking down the streets—someone could recognize us and say “hello.”
Why do you think these characters are still well loved?
Oliver: I’ve been trying to work this out for the past 25 years. It’s just something that seems to resonate with so many people, in different cultures and age groups. I suppose it’s the commitment, it’s doing the right thing, and it’s believing in yourself. There are so many of these key qualities, and it’s just nice seeing so many new generations who are now invested in the films and the books.
If you could bring one dish or food from the “Harry Potter” movies, what would it be and why?
Oliver: Definitely, it wouldn’t be anything from the Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes; probably like a proper butterbeer. That would be one thing to try.
James: The chocolate frog! I remember reading that in the book for the first time and thinking, “How cool would that be?” Actually, in the “Wizards of Baking,” there are subtle nods to culinary things in the wizarding world. They actually built a full-on kitchen for the bakers to use, and, in there, you can see a chocolate frog in a package. Subtly, it’s there. It’s an if-you-know-you-know kind of thing.
So if Fred and George were baking contestants, what kind of dessert would they make?
Oliver: They would definitely incorporate stuff like popping candies, or something like when you put a Mentos candy into the Coke, and it shoots up. But I imagine their stuff to be very sweet, but with chili in it. I wouldn’t trust them to taste it.
James: Same! I think there would be something sweet and enjoyable in it, but something with a twist. I think these guys would still want to win, so it’d still be very good. It would be something like a take-your-taste-buds-on-a-journey kind of thing.
