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Harry Potter is at the top of the list of fantasy fiction chronicles that have completely consumed at least one generation, if not more. Starting off as J.K. Rowling’s hit series novels, the movies were already highly anticipated when they were just in talks, and the lucky stars who scored those roles would go on to be in the media light for decades. However, Harry Potter star Ralph Fiennes was getting media attention for different reasons when he was caught joining the mile-high club. 

Ralph Fiennes smiling in front of a gray background, holding an award
Ralph Fiennes | Hannes Magerstaedt/Getty Images

Ralph Fiennes and his acting career

Fiennes is most well-known for his iconic role as Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter, but it wasn’t the only film he starred in. In fact, he’s starred in more than 70 other roles both on the big and small-screen. So, although it’s hard to separate him from the snake-like nostrils and grayish skin, there is actually much more to the actor. Some notable acting roles include M. Gustave in The Grand Budapest Hotel, Justin Quayle in The Constant Gardener, Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List, and Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman. The actor is most fond of playing bad guys like that of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, accruing roles with similar evil characters like serial killers, a Nazi captain, Machiavellian criminal masterminds, and more. 

His time as Lord Voldemort in the unforgettable ‘Harry Potter’ series

Fiennes made his debut in the fourth Harry Potter film, The Goblet of Fire, in 2005. Since then, he has assumed the role of Harry Potter’s nemesis and the Wizarding World’s worst nightmare. Doing this meant spending a long time applying makeup and using incredible special effects, as you can see in the films — there are slight similarities between the character and actor, but not really.

According to Looper, “Fiennes only had the makeup applied around 60 to 70 times, many of which were for the final two films [and] two-time Oscar-winning makeup artist Mark Coulier, who was personally responsible for getting Fiennes made-up, [said] he managed to cut the application time down to a mere two hours. In fact, Coulier says some of the effects only took 10 minutes to finish.”

Ralph Fiennes joined the mile high club with a flight attendant

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During a flight from Australia to India, Fiennes and a flight attendant named Lisa Robertson had several endearing conversations over the course of the flight. Robertson already had a crush on the Hollywood star from his role in many of her favorite movies, so when he met her in the back to chat it up during her break, it was no surprise that it led to something more. They went into the flight’s small bathroom and had sex, but when they tried to be sneaky about departing, they got caught. As it turned out, a crew member saw Fiennes leave the bathroom just moments before Robertson and reported it to the company. From there, the news got leaked and hit the Sunday paper soon after.

On 60 Seconds Australia, Robertson spoke out about the whole affair. “We both did the wrong thing, you know. What we did was silly, and it was inappropriate and very unprofessional of me,” She said. “Once it was on the front page of the newspaper, it was horrific for me [but] I don’t regret it. The only regret I do have is the effect this has had on parents.” Looking back, the whole scandal got a lot of global attention — more negatively for Lisa Robertson than Ralph Fiennes — but it didn’t hold either back from future success. Fiennes went on to keep making movies, and Robertson eventually found her way on the screen as well.