Hey guys,
Welcome to another installment of Harry Potter
Theory. In this video, I’m going to be doing
something a little bit different than usual.
Rather than deep diving in to the rich lore
of Harry Potter, I’m going to instead be
taking a look at the casting decisions made
for the Harry Potter films. Now, I thought
that the casting in Harry Potter was great-
across pretty much all of the films, for pretty
much all of the roles. There wasn’t a single
role where I felt that that the actor themself
took away from the character- however there
were of course some instances in which the
film portrayal of the character didn’t exactly
fit with the book. I.e Bonnie Wright with
Ginnie.
And while I think that the Harry Potter films
did a fantastic job overall, I can’t quite
say the same for the Fantastic Beasts films,
at least the ones we’ve had so far- they
weren’t bad, but definitely not as good
as Harry Potter.
Even the characters that we hate, like Umbridge,
were cast exceptionally well- Imelda Staunton
was the perfect Umbridge.
But, like with any film, casting is a huge
part of the film-creation process, and so
it only makes sense that many many other actors
were nearly cast in these roles. In this video,
we’re going to be taking a closer look at
some of the actors that were ever so close
to being cast in some of the roles. Some didn’t
get the role because they were beat out by
someone who was just a better fit, and others
weren’t able to accept the role due to things
like scheduling conflicts. Without further
ado, let’s take a look at some of the actors
that could have been.
1. Hugh Grant
The first actor that we’re going to be looking
at is British romcom heartthrob Hugh Grant.
Grant is predominantly known for his comedic
performance in romantic comedies, but in more
recent years seems to have branched out a
little bit- perhaps in fear of being labelled
a one-trick pony. Grant was originalyl cast
as, you guessed it, wizarding heartthrob Gilderoy
Lockhart - five time winner of Witch Weekly’s
Most Charming Smile Award. The role of Lockhart
required an actor that was able to effectively
convey the painfully ‘cheesey’ and simultaneously
‘egotistical’ nature of the character-
and Grant does ‘cheese’ well. Lockhart
was of course Harry’s Defense Against the
Dark Arts Professor in the Chamber of Secrets
- and his character exudes an unusual mixture
of charming and despicable. The role of course
eventually went to Kenneth Branagh, but this
was actually only because Grant turned the
role down. Grant was in the middle of filming
some other things, and it just didn’t work
out with his schedule. Fortunately, however,
Branagh did an excellent job, though I’m
sure Grant would have done well in the role
as well.
2. Ian Mckellen
Gandalf, is that you? Yes, that’s right,
Sir Ian Mckellen, famously known as the powerful
wizard Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings, and
Magneto in X-men, was actually considered
as a frontrunner for Dumbledore. As we know,
Richard Harris, the original Dumbledore (who
was only in the first two films) passed away
before the film series could be completed.
This meant that one of the largest roles in
the film franchise suddenly became vacant,
and it only seems fitting that Warner Bros
would want to cast someone very experienced.
Ian Mckellen is an incredibly versatile actor,
and given that he is already an accomplished
on-screen wizard, it made sense that he would
be considered for Dumbledore. Interestingly
enough, Richard Harris, who originally played
Dumbledore, did not think particularly highly
of Mckellen’s acting capabilities, and once
publicly expressed that he thought that Mckellen
was “brilliant but passionless." I’m not
sure if this had any bearing in casting, but
the role was eventually given to Michael Gambon
- who absolutely crushed it. Gambon is an
irish-born british actor who trained under
Laurence Olivier himself, and has an extremely
impressive acting resume under his belt. He
performed exceptionally in the role, and I
honestly think that he did a better job than
Mckellen would have done- even though Mckellen
is a great actor.
3. Tim Roth
Actor Tim Roth is known for his roles in popular
films like Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, The
Hit, and many many more. He’s an English
actor with quite a diverse acting background-
and with his years of experience I feel as
though he’s the kind of actor that could
take on any sort of role. However, the role
that Roth was originally supposed to take
on was none other than Potions Professor Severus
Snape.
The role of Severus Snape was of course later
filled by actor Alan Rickman, who portrayed
Snape in a way that I don’t think any other
actor could. Of all of the casting in Harry
Potter, I think that Snape may have been the
best. When I saw his character on-screen,
I didn’t think, “oh that’s Alan Rickman”,
I just thought “That’s Snape’ - which,
if you consider the fact that Rickman was
already quite famous, is quite an impressive
feat. He completely submerged himself in to
the role, and I can’t even begin to imagine
anyone else being Snape. Though I’m sure
Roth could have given it a go- it couldn’t
have worked out better that he had to turn
the role down. Roth was first in line, but
dropped out so that he could film Tim Burton’s
Planet of the Apes.
4. Tilda Swinton
Matilda or Tilda Swinton is a Scottish actress
known for her roles in both independent arthouse
films and blockbusters. Over the course of
her career, she’s been cast in a very diverse
array of roles, and I personally felt that
she was particularly good in the role of the
White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia. In
whatever film I see her in, she always has
a lot of screen presence, and with her Scottish
background, I’m sure she would have slotted
in perfectly with the Harry Potter set. Swinton
was originally considered for the role of
Professor Trelawney, the quirky, unusual,
and perhaps sometimes deluded Divination Professor.
The role of Trelawney was of course eventually
given to actress Emma Thompson, who did an
exceptional job, but I honestly feel as though
Swinton would have done a pretty good job
here as well. Swinton was offered the role
before Thompson, but had to turn it down due
to scheduling conflicts.
5. Robin Williams
The late Robin Williams was an exceptional
actor- he had an extremely impressive acting
resume, and over the course of his career
was always able to effectively portray whatever
was asked of him. His ability to convey emotion
on-screen was a true testament to his acting
capabilities and charisma. In addition to
being a popular stand-up comic, Williams also
had impressive improvisational skills, and
is perhaps best known for his roles in films
like Dead Poet’s Society, Good Will Hunting,
and Mrs. Doubtfire. Williams was initially
considered for the role of Hogwarts gamekeeper
Rubeus Hagrid, and was actually the first
choice of Warner Brothers, however, the role
was eventually extended to actor Robbie Coltrane,
as Rowling wanted to preserve an all-british
cast. Coltrane did an exceptional job at portraying
the gentle magical half-giant, and once again,
I feel as though he was the perfect casting
decision. However, I can’t help but wonder
what Williams would have been like in the
role .
6. Bob Hoskins
The late Bob Hoskins was an English Actor
best known for portraying tough-guys, gangsters,
and working class gentlemen. One of his most
well-known roles was ‘Eddie Valliant’
in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’, an iconic
live-action animated-comedy released in 1988.
Hoskins was initially considered for the role
of Potions Professor Horace Slughorn - the
eccentric teacher that had a knack for ‘collecting’
his students. Hoskins lost out on the role
to English actor Jim Broadbent, who (I know
I keep saying this) was perfect in the role.
Though I feel that Hoskins would have given
us quite a different representation of Slughorn,
I think he would have still done well in the
role. In spite of Hoskins being turned down
for the role of Slughorn, it has been reported
that Rowling wanted Hoskins in the film so
badly that she even considered writing a role
for him in the 7th book.
7. JK Rowling
JK Rowling - have you heard the name before?
Though Rowling is certainly not an actress,
she was originally considered for the role
of Harry’s mother in the Philosopher’s
Stone- which could have perhaps been a nice
cameo. I think that, of all of the roles,
Lily Potter would have been the perfect role
for her to slot herself in to had she wanted
to enter the film. However, Rowling and the
casting directors eventually decided that
it would be best that they go with someone
else. Though it’s not a particularly large
role, actress Geraldine Sommerville, who eventually
went on to assume the role, did a good job.
And that’s it for this video! Did you guys
know about all of these potential casting
decisions? Do you think that any of these
actors would have been BETTER in the role
than the actors that were cast? Let me know
down in the comment section below
UNTIL NEXT TIME
YER A WIZARD ARRY
