James and Oliver are the only children of the Phelps family. Oliver was slightly faster than his “baby” brother and came into the world 13 minutes before James. James was named after his grandfather Andrew and his uncle Eric while Oliver was named after his dad Martyn and the other grandfather John.
They grew up with their two dogs “Tom and Jerry” in Sutton Coldfield; a town near Birmingham. Both attended the Terry Arthur School in their home town but in different classes. Being natural pranksters (much like the Weasley Twins) they sometimes switched their names and confused their teachers. James finished the first book of the Harry Potter series just as their mother told them about a fateful audition in Leeds. The rest, as they say, is history.
Since their childhood, they had both loved acting and so the family drove to Leeds. A few days After the audition the whole family was in the living room. The phone rang and their mother answered it. When she was asked the question: “Is the mother of the Weasley twins there?” her answer was “No”. Eventually the penny dropped.
James and Oliver accepted the the roles of Fred and George Weasley and dyed their brown hair the traditional Weasley ginger. They even went as far as dying their eye brows! When they first started shooting they were 5’5″ but in The Deathy Hallows; the last film of the series, They clocked in at a statuesque 6’3″!
Both twins enjoy golf, and Oliver has expressed an interest in becoming a pro golfer. His handicap is 20 and James’ is 18. Both like listening to rock music, playing the Xbox 360, PlayStation and acting.
James and Oliver look forward to meeting all their fans at both the Melbourne and Gold Coast expos in 2012. There are signing* and photo* sessions throughout each Saturday (10.30am to 5.30pm) and Sunday (11am to 5pm) excluding breaks and they will be conducting a general admission Q&A during each weekend.
* Autograph ($30 per Twin) and photograph ($80 for the Weasley sandwich – you between the Twins) fees apply.
Guest confirmed health and other commitments pending.
