Misconceptions About Fictional Characters Creators Had to Debunk
The fact that AO3 exists is prima facie evidence that we fans can get a little carried away sometimes. That can be a problem when our headcanon escapes into the wild, taking root in the minds of normies, and before you know it, a myth is born. At its most extreme, the head honchos have had to step in to clarify, once and for all, that no…
The Love Interest of ‘The Idea of You’ Wasn’t Based on Harry Styles
Speaking of fan fiction, The Idea of You has been advertised as such because author Robinne Lee once mentioned being inspired by a Harry Styles music video, but “I don't consider it fan fiction at all,” she said. “Harry was one of multiple people who went into creating Hayes Campbell,” including Prince Harry, Eddie Redmayne, some of her exes, and her husband. Honestly, more people need to write fan fiction about their own spouses.
Jedi Aren’t Celibate
Many Star Wars fans have assumed, given their lackluster personal lives, that celibacy must be a condition of the Jedi order, but all the way back in 2002, George Lucas corrected this notion. “Jedi knights aren’t celibate,” he said. “The thing that is forbidden is attachments — and possessive relationships.” Basically, they can be up in the jizz clubs every night picking up chicks, as long as they don’t catch feelings.
Scar and Mufasa Aren’t Brothers
Considering the Hamlet of it all, it’s a fair assumption that Scar is Simba’s uncle (also because he, you know, calls him “uncle” all the time). But Mufasa and Scar weren’t actually written as brothers, because — according to producer Don Hahn — that’s not how lions work. “We talked about the fact that it was very likely (Scar and Mufasa) would not have both the same parents,” he explained. “When the male lion gets old, another rogue lion comes and kills the head of the pride. What that does is it causes the female lions to go into heat, and then the new younger lion kills the king and then he kills all the babies.”
Sounds ethologically dubious, but that’s how they wrote it.
The ‘T’ in ‘Voldemort’ Is Silent
J.K. Rowling loves to tell us we’re wrong about stuff, whether it’s traits never previously mentioned of characters in the wizarding world or the nature of biological sex, but you have to admit her reasoning that the “T” in “Voldemort” is supposed to be silent is sound. It’s derived from French, which is full of words ending in silent “T’s,” but she’s given up correcting people. If only she’d always give up so easily.
Cher Horowitz Isn’t Jewish
In 2019, director Amy Heckerling told the Times of Israel that, despite all appearances to the contrary, Clueless is Jew-less as well. She’s obviously wrong because Cher’s last name is Horowitz, and it doesn’t matter that Wallace Shawn apparently bestowed it upon her as an improvisation because both Alicia Silverstone and the actor who plays her father, Dan Hedaya, are Jewish. But she’s the boss. We guess.
