Matthew Lewis' Nerdiness As Neville Longbottom Was Fake, Says Harry Potter Co-Star

Matthew Lewis
Matthew Lewis |

The Harry Potter movie series has undoubtedly cast its magic on countless moviegoers, but probably the greatest magic they have accomplished is transforming Matthew Lewis from a hunk and into the nerdy and clumsy Neville Longbottom from Gryffindor.

His co-star Alfred Enoch, 26 who plays fellow Gryffindor Dean Thomas even shared how the whole crew toned down the good looks of Lewis just so he can be a convincing Neville.

"Matt Lewis has been a very good-looking guy for a little while now," Enoch told PEOPLE. "I mean, he had to wear fake teeth, and he had to wear a fat suit. They gave him haircuts that he was really upset with. So, that was sort of a ploy to hide his greater beauty from the world."

Because of this, people were quite surprised with his dramatic physical transformation, and people have even coined the phrase "Longbottomed," which really encapsulates how a caterpillar transforms into a beautiful butterfly.

Lewis admitted that he feels overwhelmed with all the attention he has been getting. "It kind of leaves me at a loss for words," he said.

But for Enoch, the adulation isn't all that surprising.  He even compared Lewis' transformation to those popularized by chick flicks such as She's All That and The Princess Diaries.

"Like the sun emerges from behind the clouds, I knew it, it was not surprising," Enoch says of Lewis. "It was just like dressing someone down, and then they start looking a bit cooler. It's like the teen-movie thing - 'She couldn't possibly be the most good-looking person in the film.' Of course she can - she's wearing glasses and is a bit artsy!"

The actor laughingly added that he is actually happy for his co-star, saying that Lewis is an attractive man and should be celebrated for it.

As for himself, the English actor has been receiving some well-deserved fanfare too because of his role as Wes Gibbins on the television series How to Get Away with Murder. He has even been nominated for an NAACP Image Award for best supporting actor in a series because of his role.

He said that the whole experience has been so weird for him, since he has never worked in the United States. "It was all a big surprise," he said of the ABC show. "For it to take off the way it did, that was so far beyond what I was expecting."