Movies Harry Potter alum Tom Felton's emotional tribute to his on-screen mom Helen McCrory in HBO Max cast reunion Among the many tributes on deceased Harry Potter stars were reflections on Alan Rickman, Richard Harris, Richard Griffiths, and John Hurt. By Nick Romano Nick Romano Nick is an entertainment journalist based in New York, NY. If you like pugs and the occasional blurry photo of an action figure, follow him on Twitter @NickARomano. EW's editorial guidelines Published on January 1, 2022 03:01AM EST There are many tributes to Harry Potter stars who died over the years in HBO Max's Return to Hogwarts reunion special, but none packs more of an emotional wallop than Tom Felton talking about his on-screen mother, Helen McCrory. McCrory, who played Draco Malfoy's mom Narcissa, died in April at the age of 52 after a battle with cancer. Felton, being interviewed solo for this moment in the special, manages to say one thing before tearing up at the thought of her passing. "She taught me a lot. See? I can't even say it," Felton, now 34 years old, begins. Taking a moment, he continues, "She had this ability, yeah, just to sort of show such empathy in her eyes. It was a real treat to work with her." Helen McCrory and Tom Felton in 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2'. Warner Bros./Courtesy Everett Collection Jason Isaacs, 58, who played McCrory's on-screen husband, Lucius Malfoy, separately reminisces about the good times working with her on set. "I said, 'I think I've just met the best actress I've ever seen in my life,'" he recalls. "I feel lucky to have worked with her and just shared just so much frankly adolescent laughter with on the set." Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts also pays tribute to late costars Richard Harris, who played the original Albus Dumbledore in Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets; Richard Griffiths, who played Vernon Dursley; John Hurt, who played Garrick Ollivander; and Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape. "Alan Rickman never talked to me like I was a child. He always took my thoughts and opinions very seriously, which I was always very touched by," Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) says. Tom Felton in 'Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts'. Nick Wall Ralph Fiennes, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort, looked back on their final scene together in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. "I was a little intimidated by his precision, his expert delivery of lines," he remembers. "We went toe-to-toe in a funny way. Snape and Voldemort. Two actors can relish metaphorically fencing with each other. Alan was a magician in that way as an actor." Return to Hogwarts is currently streaming on HBO Max. Related content: Harry Potter stars get emotional over reunion in Return to Hogwarts trailer: 'We're family' See Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint reunite for Harry Potter anniversary special Harry Potter stars return to Platform 9 3/4 in teaser for 20th anniversary reunion special Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.