The Los Angeles mayor knows more about 'Harry Potter' than the cast
HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- True or false: Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is a bigger Harry Potter nerd than Draco Malfoy.
True -- or at least Garcetti is a little sharper with Potter trivia than Tom Felton, the actor who played the infamous Slytherin.
On the red carpet of the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood, Mashable quizzed celebrities about their knowledge of J.K. Rowling's magical world.
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Below, we grilled a few celebrities and Harry Potter cast (including Felton, Warwick Davis, Evanna Lynch and the Phelps twins, James and Oliver) with some trivia from the books. The results were ... mixed:
But Garcetti, a Democrat (and likely Ravenclaw) who was elected to his first term as Los Angeles mayor in 2013, is more of a superfan than Felton and other stars who walked the carpet. Not only did he nail our question, but he's got props.
No like, an actual prop, as in a wand that he brought with him:
Also in attendance for the opening night event, held Tuesday: Billy Bob Thornton, Ron Meyer, vice chairman of NBCUniversal and Kevin Tsujihara, chairman & CEO of Warner Bros. Entertainment.
Later in the evening, composer John Williams conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra as a fireworks show went up over Hogwarts.
"Friends, Muggles, Wizards -- we are here together on this incredible night," Garcetti said to attendees before the performance began. "You know, my letter to Hogwarts was still lost in the mail but I'm so excited to finally be here."
He even joked about taking L.A.'s own Hogwarts Express -- Metro's Red Line.
The politician emphasized the new attraction will help bring tourists to Los Angeles.
"In L.A. you can apparate ... to a completely different world," he said. "I like to think of myself as a Gryffindor but the sorting hat would probably tell me I'm a Ravenclaw. And like any good Ravenclaw, I'm constantly thinking of creative, innovative new ways to do my job. And as of the city, that means bringing Los Angeles to the world and the world to Los Angeles."
He hopes to bring 50 million visitors to Los Angeles by 2020.
"Today we are a giant step closer to that goal, we expect the Wizarding World of Harry Potter will bring even more tourists to Los Angeles every year."
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened to the public on Thursday.
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Topics Harry Potter
Saba was a Los Angeles-based reporter who covers all things digital entertainment, including YouTube, streaming services and digital influencers. Prior to that, she spent two years at the Los Angeles Times covering entertainment for the Calendar and Company Town sections. Saba grew up in Santa Monica and graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in journalism and B.A. in political science. When not reporting, she is usually binge watching shows online or looking for new coffee shops to frequent.
