(A version of this post was shared with Pirates & Princesses on March 12, 2023.)
“Let’s all throw books at Myrtle, because she can’t feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach! Fifty points if it goes through her head! Well, ha ha ha! What a lovely game, I don’t think!”
How does someone who always cries, sobs, and regales us with the tragedies of her life become such a fan favorite? You’ve got me there, but somehow Moaning Myrtle pulls it off.
The Wizarding World’s resident ghostly bathroom dweller, Myrtle Warren (fondly known as Moaning Myrtle) loves to cry and scream her sob story. As she would tell it, she died suddenly to a pair of yellow eyes while hiding out in the girls bathroom (she was in there crying after Olive Hornby made fun of her glasses). Ever since, she’s made a point of spreading her (somehow whimsical) sadness throughout the Hogwarts bathrooms. Guests visiting Hogsmeade Village in either of Universal Studios’ Wizarding World lands will hear Myrtle moaning in the restrooms right by the castle.
So who is the person behind the ghost? Myrtle was played by actor Shirley Henderson, who also provided the voice of one of the more popular characters in the Star Wars sequel trilogy – Babu Frick. The Anzellan droidsmith was introduced to fans in 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker, as he was tasked with bypassing C-3PO’s programming restrictions in order to gain critical information on the location of the Emperor’s First Order fleet.
Henderson reprised her Star Wars role in season 3 of The Mandalorian – this time providing the voices for several Anzellans in a truly comical moment with Mando and Grogu.
Would you ever have guessed that both of these characters were played by the same actor? It was news to me this morning, when I learned it listening to the always-entertaining, and quite informative, Ringer-Verse podcast episode of The House of R, with hosts Mallory Rubin and Joanna Robinson. I highly recommend the Ringer-Verse for all things Star Wars, Marvel, and fandom.
Check out more connections between the Wizarding World and Disney in my ever-expanding article Terrificus Totalus: The Intertwined Worlds of Harry Potter and Disney.
Who’s your favorite second-level character in the Wizarding World? Let me know with a message on social: Instagram Facebook X
