Harry is the main character of the book series, and we’re sure one of the favorites. In her books, J.K. Rowling describes him as having untidy black hair that’s always sticking up and partially covering a lighting-scribed scar on his forehead. And he’s always wearing his trademark round glasses, which are forever breaking.

The Boy Who Lived was portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe, who perfectly captured Harry’s character. The only thing that they didn’t share was green eyes. Daniel did, however, wear a wig for some of the movies, as the character was said to have longer hair, and it was easier to don a wig than grow out his hair. Other than that, we’d say Hollywood got this one right.

Other than He Who Shall Not Be Named, Draco is Harry’s main rival. He’s described as a platinum blonde-haired boy with aristocratic features. Draco represents the dark side of Slytherin House and has an air of superiority about him. This is emphasized by the sneering expression that never leaves his face.

Although Tom Felton’s performance perfectly captured Draco’s personality, he had to wear a blonde wig throughout the entire series, as his hair is brown. But if you’re looking at the features of the character, Tom looks quite similar.

When we think about Fleur, we think stunningly beautiful. This part-Veela witch is said to have long, silvery-blond hair that cascades down her back. She also has very delicate features and an allure that captivates those around her.

Clémence Poésy has an ethereal charm about her that brings this character to life like no other actress would’ve done. And despite her natural hair color being darker than Fleur’s, she was the perfect choice, as you can clearly see from the AI image.

Dudley, Harry’s spoiled and over-indulgent cousin, looks very much like a piglet, from his overweight body to his tiny piggy eyes and pig-like features. This character is meant to come across as very privileged and self-absorbed.

The movie and AI versions of him are slightly different, though, and Harry Melling underwent considerable weight loss during filming. This resulted in a much slimmer version of the character.

Who can forget the stern yet fair Professor of Transfiguration? With her hair pulled tightly into a bun, high cheekbones, and sharp features, she’s a severe-looking witch in the books. She’s described as tall and walking with an air of authority.

Dame Maggie Smith was another actress that had to wear a wig to portray the character chosen for her, but she did so with the style and grace that only Dame Maggie could. You’ll notice, though, that she looks nothing like her AI image.

The freckle-faced little sister of Harry’s best friend is the youngest of the Weasley siblings and also sports the trademark red hair that the whole brood is known for. She starts out as a shy girl and grows into a brave young woman who ends up marrying Harry.

Though Ginny’s eyes are brown in the books, Bonnie Wright has blue eyes, and the producers chose not to change this, perhaps because it contrasts nicely with her natural red hair. As you can see from the AI image, this is another one that Hollywood was right about.

This poor character isn’t popular or described as a very attractive girl. She’s said to have a pug-like face with a wide mouth, clearly seen in the AI image. Her voice is meant to bring this mean-spirited and snobbish girl to life.

Multiple actresses played the part of Pansy, including Genevieve Gaunt and Scarlett Byrne. None of them were quite as unattractive as this poor girl is described to be.

Cedric won our hearts during the Triwizard Tournament, and this Hufflepuff boy is described as tall and having a friendly smile. The books describe a well-built wizard with a mop of messy brown hair. As one of the most attractive characters in the book series, he had all the girls swooning.

Though Robert Pattinson’s hair color was different, he brought to life the sincerity of the character. He played Cedric as a friendly, humble soul who crept into everyone’s hearts.

Like his son, Lucius is described as having a sneering expression permanently glued to his face with an arrogant air, as if he is better than everyone else. He’s said to have a very pointed nose and long white-blond hair.

Lucius is meant to portray the corrupt side of the wizarding world and, as a dark wizard, is aligned with Lord Voldemort. Jason Isaacs truly captured the mannerisms of this dark character. And as we can see from the AI image, he looks very similar to the character’s description.

This tall, broad-shouldered, and rather imposing character was Harry’s competitor during the Triwazard Tournament. The books describe him as intense and focused on winning the cup for his school. He has unkempt dark hair and a prominent hooked nose.

The only thing Stanislav Ianevski shares with the character from the book is his nationality. As you can see, the book described him as a lanky character, whereas Stanislav was quite stocky.

Cho was at one time the love interest of both Harry and Cedric, and this inner turmoil is described in the books. J.K. Rowling also makes mention of her long, silky black hair and almond-shaped eyes.

The character is said to represent the complexity of teenage emotions and is vulnerable, with graceful movement and a gentle soul. Katie Leung managed to bring this to life with her performance. She also looks quite similar to the image, and it’s safe to say that Hollywood nailed this one.

Like the rest of his family, Ron has fiery red hair and freckles. He’s Harry’s best friend and is loyal to Harry like no other. He’s said to be a lean figure with a great sense of humor. Ron later steals the heart of Hermione, and they are Harry’s closest companions throughout the book.

This clumsy but lovable friend of Harry was portrayed by Rupert Grint, who was suited to the role of Ron, maybe not physically but indeed in spirit. Similar to a lot of the other actors, Rupert wore a wig for parts of filming. They just didn’t give him the freckles that the book version of Ron had.

Better known as simply Tonks, this energetic witch was described as having vibrant hair that changes color as her mood changes. From bubblegum pink to violent shades of purple and even sky blue, each time she’s mentioned, her hair color is different.

The character is meant to be playful and highly energetic, something that Natalia Tena was able to capture during the filming of the series. This image, though, shows a woman with shorter hair. Tonks also had blue eyes in the books instead of Natalia’s green ones.

Harry’s arch nemesis and the most powerful dark wizard in the books, Voldemort, is described as looking like a snake. He has pale skin, red eyes, and a nose with slits. He’s the picture of evil and fear.

And just like Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes is a master of his craft and was able to bring this menacing character to life. He had to shave his head every day of filming and wear long spiky nails to truly depict the dark lord. He also spent a lot of time in the make-up room, but the result was very close to the AI image.

Harry’s aunt is described as a character that resents the wizarding world, which shows in her treatment of Harry. Physically, she’s described as a thin woman with a horse-like face. She has blond hair, and her lips are permanently pursed disapprovingly.

Fiona Shaw is perhaps the actress furthest away from her AI image, but she perfectly captures the cold and distant demeanor that the character is said to have in the books.

These two are the older twin brothers of Ron and Ginny and also have the trademark red hair and freckled faces of the Weasleys. They’re playful characters who love to play pranks on the rest of the characters. Said to have mischievous grins, these two bring some much-needed comic relief.

James and Oliver Phelps portrayed the characters, and the two fun-loving actors matched the fun-loving nature of the characters, but that’s unfortunately where it ends. As with Ron, they didn’t have the trademark freckles, and they were a bit lankier than how the book described the twins.

Luna is a unique character with a quirky and unconventional nature. She’s described as a girl with a dreamy expression, dirty blond hair that reaches her waist, and is said to look straggly. With her silvery eyes that almost seem to pop out, she’s one of the more whimsical characters in the book.

This is another one that Hollywood managed to get right. This ethereal character was brought to life by the actress Evanna Lynch, and Lynch truly embraced the role. She also looks quite similar to the image, despite having different colored eyes. She plays Luna as an eccentric character that’s unapologetically herself.

A tragic figure in the books, Merope is the mother of Tom Riddle. Merope is a thin, sickly-looking woman with lank hair and a hollow face. This character was never featured in the movies, so it would be impossible for us to pass judgment on Hollywood in this instance.

She was a sad and tragic figure that had a hard life. You can’t help but feel pity for this character when you’re reading the book.

Bill was Ron’s older brother and went on to marry Ron’s one-time crush, Fleur. He’s a tall man with the same red hair as his siblings, which he usually wears in a ponytail. Later in the series, he’s involved in a werewolf attack and is described as having a long scar on his face.

Domhnall Gleeson was a perfect match for Bill’s physical appearance and portrayed the character’s confident manner and dedication to the cause of the Order of the Phoenix. The only difference between Dohmnall and the image is that he never wore his hair in a ponytail.

In the books, the young Tom would later become known as Lord Voldemort and has a charm that hides his true nature. He’s described as having pale skin, thin lips, and snake-like features – like the dark lord.

His AI image comes very close to what Christian Coulson looks like in the movies. The dark hair and eyes are what cinched it for Hollywood.

Sirius is Harry’s godfather who spent a long time in Azkaban, which gave him a haunted look. Sirius is described as having long, matted black hair, and gray eyes, and is a handsome man. He’s a significant character in the books and is fiercely protective of Harry.

Gary Oldman matched Sirius’s physical description and came very close to this AI image of the man. And Gary played the rebellious and passionate nature of the character very well.

Charlie the dragon-tamer is said to be quite a muscular and tall man. As with his brothers, this character also has a mop of flaming red hair and a freckled face.

Though the character never appears onscreen in the movies, he’s mentioned throughout. He’s well-known for his love for the magical creatures he works with in Romania.

Along with his trusty side-kick, Mrs. Norris, the cat, this cantankerous caretaker of Hogwarts roams the halls of the school with a sour expression. He’s described as having thin grey hair and a hunchback.

David Bradley brought this character to life, and we all believed that he really did enjoy the punishment that he doled out to students when they broke any school rules. He looked just as creepy in the movie as in this image.

In the books, this cowardly character was once a friend of James Potter but later turned into a servant of Lord Voldemort. He’s described as having mousy brown hair, watery blue eyes, and a soft-spoken manner that belies his evil nature.

In the movies, his rat-like characteristics were played out by Timothy Spall, who was able to portray the cowardly nature of this character. And even though Timothy spent many hours with the makeup team, the result was not quite as terrifying as this image.

James is Harry’s father, Sirius’s best friend, and one of the best Quidditch players in the book series. James is said to have untidy black hair, just like his son, and hazel eyes. And just like Harry, he also wears glasses.

Adrian Rawlins played James during several flashback scenes in the movie and brought a sense of charisma to the character, even if he didn’t look much like the AI-generated image.

Neville is one of the characters that has the most significant transformation throughout the book series. He grows from a clumsy and forgetful boy into a brave and resilient wizard. He’s said to be a round-faced boy with a stocky build and blond hair and is described as being quite timid at the start.

On the silver screen, Matthew Lewis played the part of Neville brilliantly. Though Matthew didn’t look much like the AI image, he could easily portray his transformation, as Matthew also went from a chubby kid to a rather dashing man.

She’s the bookworm of the group and knows everything there is to know about the wizarding world. J.K. Rowling describes Hermione as a bookish girl with a head of bushy brown hair and large front teeth. She’s unwaveringly loyal to Harry and has exceptional magical abilities.

Emma Watson brings this intellectual character to life in the movies and matches Hermione’s physical attributes. Well, perhaps without the large front teeth. They tried false teeth for a while but noticed they didn’t work.

Remus is a mentor to Harry who turns into a werewolf with every full moon, which makes him a complex and sympathetic character. In the book, he has light brown hair, tired eyes, and a lined face that belies his actual age.

Lupin was played by David Thewlis, who wasn’t as slim as the book described, but he did bring a sense of weariness to the character that spoke of his struggles with being a werewolf.

Mother to Draco and wife to Lucius, Narcissa is said to have long blonde hair. She’s a tall, slim woman with a proud manner and the aristocratic arrogance that both her son and husband have.

Helen McCrory was an elegant actress, but her hair didn’t match that of the character as described in the books, and she was far more attractive. Hollywood fixed the hair issue with a wig.

Lily is Harry’s mom and is best known for her sacrificial act when she protected Harry from Lord Voldemort. She has long red hair, green eyes, and a kind face.

During various flashback scenes throughout the movie series, Lily was played by Geraldine Somerville and Ellie Darcey-Alden. In the movies, her hair wasn’t as red as the books describe it, but she had the green eyes she passed on to Harry. Overall it was a bit of a miss, and Hollywood didn’t get too close to the AI image.

Vernon is a textbook muggle and the epitome of normality. Vernon, Harry’s uncle, and Petunia’s husband, is said to be a large, beefy man with a large mustache and gruff nature. He’s the most narrow-minded and intolerant character in the series.

The character has an overbearing nature which Richard Griffiths was able to capture in his portrayal of the overbearing man. In fact, he could practically be twins with the AI-generated image!

Dolores is an evil character and is disliked by all. As the Hogwarts High Inquisitor, she was a very unpopular professor. The books describe her as having short curly hair and a simpering smile.

Imelda Staunton’s appearance is surprisingly close to the one described in the book and depicted in the AI image, and she was able to bring to life the sadistic nature of the character as well.

With his greasy black hair, hooked nose, and sallow complexion, Snape is a brooding character that the reader can never be quite sure of. His loyalties only become known in the final book, and as such, he’s quite a complex character throughout the series.

Not only did Alan Rickman’s physical attributes match those of Snape quite well, but Alan also brought his strict condescending manner onto the silver screen. This image is practically a carbon copy of the actor.

Gilderoy is a flamboyant celebrity wizard with a penchant for stealing others’ achievements. The books describe him as an attractive man with wavy blonde hair and a dazzling smile. His nature is self-absorbed and arrogant.

Bringing a comic flair to the character, Kenneth Branagh looked much like the character as J.K. Rowling described him. Although this image looks slightly like the actor, we wouldn’t blame you if you thought this was his son.

Bellatrix is called Bella by her friends and family. She’s the sister of Narcissa Malfoy, though you’d never be able to tell from her description in the books. Bella is said to have long, wild black hair and a bit of madness about her. She does share her sister’s pale complexion.

Helena Bonham Carter had to wear a wig and false teeth to portray the dark witch, but that only helped her look more like the terrifying AI image. She’s a brilliant actress whose performance aligned with the sadistic and unpredictable nature of the character.

There are certain books that people are just expected to be familiar with. We’re not saying that no one out there has read these books, but for the most part, these titles are ones that many people will lie about reading if someone were to ask.

These days, you may not even have to lie about reading Moby Dick. We’re gonna be honest — the book may be a classic, but it’s pretty boring. Still, there’s a weird expectation for people to read this book, especially from those who are in love with the classics.

When a radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds occurred way back in the day, there were some people who truly believed that an alien invasion was happening. That said, it must have been pretty interesting!

Even so, this is a pretty old book, so a lot of people these days haven’t actually read it, regardless of whether or not it’s good. It makes sense though — most people take in content that is more recent for them, rather than content from the distant past.

Dune has received some new life lately, and some people consider it to be one of the best science fiction novels of all time. Of course, that’s very subjective, but even so, many science fiction fans have to lie about reading Dune, because it is just expected for them to be familiar.

Granted, Dune is also a pretty old book, which is something that you will probably notice as a trend in this list — most of the books that people lie about reading are the ones that are particularly old. You probably won’t find a single book younger than 10 years on this list!

This deep-sea exploration story is a timeless classic that has had many adaptations over the years. Many people have seen a movie or some such, but much fewer have actually read the original book by Jules Verne. Once again, it’s probably because it’s just old.

There’s actually a lot of great stories from days gone by, but as new generations grow, they are less and less likely to read older content, just because there’s a bigger disconnect between modern society and older ideals.

If you had to lie about reading a book, we wouldn’t blame you if it was The Count of Monte Cristo. This tale of a man betrayed by his friend over a mutual love is full of suspense and drama, which is probably why it can be called a classic.

Once again, though, it’s just old enough that most younger people aren’t reading it, or don’t even know that it exists. Most classics aren’t read for leisure these days. Instead, they’re read for school projects and book reports.

Charles Dickens is often praised for his influence in classic writing, but they don’t really hit home for everyone. Maybe it’s because most of Dickens’ work is… mundane, so to speak? Oliver Twist is really just about a poor kid in a real, regular world setting, and his life is tough.

Not to say that such content is objectively bad, but most people like a bit of excitement and drama in their stories. Maybe Charles Dickens was trying to say things about the human condition, but most people still lie about reading Oliver Twist.

We don’t know what it is about books that deal with the ocean. Between this and Moby Dick, we’re sure most people would lie about reading both of them. Somehow, old classics about the ocean seem to be pretty bland in the eyes of most modern readers.

That being the case, it’s really no surprise that a lot of people lie about reading such books. The Old Man and the Sea probably tells a good story, but few people these days are willing to sit through it to grasp any meaning.

Most people know the story of Gulliver’s Travels, but they would be lying if they told you that they ever actually read it. Most people are familiar with the tale from a movie, or just from a general synopsis of the story.

For instance, most everyone knows that Gulliver’s Travels is about a giant guy who stumbles across a tiny civilization, but they probably couldn’t tell you what happens in it or why among many other facts that would prove they read the book.

A Tale of Two Cities tells a gripping story about a very convoluted and dramatic time period, and yet, most people have never read this book about the French Revolution and its impact on the cities of London and Paris. That’s probably because, interesting though the concept may be, getting through the text itself is kind of a slog.

Such is the byproduct of a book being old: it may be interesting, but if the written word itself is hard to comprehend because of the different vernacular and whatnot, most people aren’t going to be too invested in reading it.

You may be noticing a trend here in regards to Charles Dickens. A lot of his books are on this list. We’re not sure if it has to do with his focus on reality in a time when real life was kind of depressing, or if his written word just isn’t attention-grabbing.

Or maybe people considered his books very gripping at some point, and it’s just modern society that can’t really get into them. Either way, most people would probably have to lie about reading Great Expectations. How ironic.

What’s funny about this book is that it is kind of a cult classic. A lot of people are able to reference it or otherwise acknowledge it as being noteworthy, but at the same time, very few of those people have actually read the book themselves.

We’re not sure why this is the case. Maybe it’s just because aspects of the book became popular in pop culture, so many people could know about its facets without ever actually experiencing the story personally.

We’re not gonna lie, our familiarity with the story of Treasure Island is almost entirely due to the 2002 Treasure Planet from Disney. Suffice to say, we could probably tell you the story beats that Treasure Island hits, but we’d be lying if we said we read the original book.

Oh well, it’s better for a story to be remembered in any form than to be written off by society entirely, right? We’re not sure how a novelist would feel about that, but we’re pretty sure they would prefer that to being forgotten entirely.

This book about burning books at the government’s behest is one that has probably been read by more people than the previous entries on this list. That said, it was mostly due to being required reading for many students while going through high school.

So, a fair number of people could truthfully say that they read this classic, but at the same time, it’s still a title that many people would have to lie about in response to that question. Such a shame.

Honestly, has anyone really read Pride and Prejudice? It’s not even that long, but we can’t find too many people who can honestly tell us that they enjoyed reading it, or even that they had read it at all in the first place. Well, it is approximately 200 years old.

Some books have the societal weight to remain relevant for that long, but we’re not sure if Pride and Prejudice is one of them. Maybe there are some people out there who really liked it.

Now here’s a book that really should be read far more often. This is one of those books that has enough weight and potency to remain a good read for hundreds and hundreds of years. It’s inspired countless other stories and many tropes recognized in writing as a whole.

And yet, most people would have to lie about reading it if they wanted to impress their English professor. Most classics need to be required reading for people to actually take a look at them these days, though that makes a fair deal of sense.

Often considered to be a classic that everyone should read, Little Women manages to be a book that most people lie about reading. Even worse, it’s a book that some people have read, and they just don’t remember everything about it.

We can’t help but wonder which modern books will share the same fate when they get old. Will people one day view The Lord of the Rings or Steven King books in such a light? Only time will tell, though perhaps none of us will be able to see it.

Alice in Wonderland is one of those stories that a bunch of people actually know about, but few people have actually read the original book. We suppose that has to do with how many adaptations the story has had, so people have been able to experience it via other means.

Still, many people would be lying if they said they had read Alice in Wonderland. But at least the story gets remembered in other ways, which is far better than the whole story just disappearing from the mind of the world.

The Catcher in the Rye is a story everyone should read just for the insightful way it talks about the unfairness of the world. Of course, it also talks about how trying to change some of that unfairness is a seriously taxing endeavor.

Most of all though, it’s a story that few people have actually read these days. Same as always, it’s just because it’s kind of old. Not as old as some of the other entries on the list, but old enough that a lot of people aren’t interested in reading it today.

Yes, this is a serious entry on this list. Think about it — for many people, the Bible is something they are expected to have read all the way through, especially if they are from a religious family. However, many of those people have not done that in the slightest.

But of course, they’ll lie about how much of it they’ve read overall, if they feel as if they need to impress other people on that front. There’s something a little ironic about that, isn’t there?

George Orwell’s book, 1984, took a look into a dystopian future where the government had extremely strict control over almost every aspect of individual citizens’ lives. It’s probably a good read for everyone, just to get a better grasp of how scary such a world would be.

That said, most people who have read the book only did so because it was required reading at some point, and as far as society is concerned as a whole, very few people have actually read it compared to those that have.

Some English professors would be appalled to find that their students haven’t read The Scarlet Letter. And yet, a very large number of people have not read that book at all. Required reading and all that, as usual. Maybe classes in school should necessitate a wider variety of stories.

If they did that, students would probably have a lot more reading experience under their belt, but there’s no universal structure for which books should be read in school, so that’s not going to happen.

Most people are familiar with this story simply because of the movie that starred Leonardo DiCaprio. Nothing wrong with that, but even the people who are familiar with the story are very unlikely to have actually read The Great Gatsby.

The book is greatly intriguing and very fascinating, but few people actually read it unless they had to in English class at some point. It’s a shame that most people would have to lie about reading it if anyone asked them.

Almost anyone can recognize the name of this book and the fact that it is a classic, and yet, it is most certainly a story that very few people have actually read. Most people probably couldn’t even tell you what Lord of the Flies is about.

Regardless of any of that, it has a name that most everyone manages to remember. We suppose that has something to do with how iconic it is, or perhaps how fun it is to say. Just remember, it’s not ‘the’ Lord of the Flies. Just Lord of the Flies!

Fewer people would have to lie about reading this book, because a lot of students in America had to do so in either middle or high school. It probably also helps that the book isn’t particularly long and takes some interesting looks into psychology.

That said, it’s still a book many people would lie about reading, simply because there’s a weird expectation for everyone to have done so at some point. Needless to say, more people haven’t, compared to those that have.

Tell any English teacher that you haven’t read this book and they will have no choice but to quell an urge to backhand you. It’s that expected of people to be familiar with this book, despite the fact that most people in the world are not.

We suppose that it is the type of story that more people should be reading, but we also can’t really blame anyone for having not done so. There are just too many books out there for everyone to have read them all! Even thirty specific books is a lot to expect of people.

The thing about this book is that it’s a piece of real history that needs to be remembered so that humanity can avoid the atrocities of the past. Unfortunately, many people would have to lie if you asked them whether or not they had read it.

In fact, we’re pretty confident that you could ask that question of 100 people, and reasonably find no one who had truthfully read this diary. Then again, you could likely do that with almost any book,

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is considered an American classic, and yet, it’s a classic that most Americans haven’t read. To be fair, we get the feeling that it’s because society as a whole doesn’t find the type of content in Tom Sawyer that entertaining anymore.

Now we seem to prefer superheroes, science fiction, grand legendary journeys, and stuff like that. The relatively tame adventures of Tom Sawyer probably don’t do much to attract readers these days.

Here we have another amazing book that most people act familiar with but truly aren’t. That’s because there was a movie quite recently that adapted the events of the book, so a lot of people lie about having read the book it was based on.

That said, the book was published in 2001, so it may be one of the most recent entries on this list, and thus something that more people have read compared to books from more than five decades ago.

Just like most people haven’t read Alice in Wonderland, a lot of people haven’t read this related book either. Granted, it would be weird if you read Through the Looking Glass without reading Alice in Wonderland. You kind of need one for the other.

Either way, it’s a book we could expect many people to lie about reading. One of many, as this list has proven up until this point. It’s kind of a shame: how often do people really read at all these days?

There aren’t as many old science fiction books in the past as there are many other genres, and this is one of the few that people can recognize. It has had some adaptations over the years, but probably not as many as some other stories from days gone by.

Maybe that’s why few people really know anything about it, other than the obvious implications that are provided by the title of the book itself. Of course, it’s not hard to learn that knowledge, for obvious reasons!