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TheHarry Potterfilm series will probably go down as one of the most popular fantasy movie series of all time in the history of cinema. The movie series had an incredible plotline which was based on the novel series of the same name which is why a lot of actors wanted to be a part of the franchise. However, the writer of the series, J.K. Rowling had made a rule at the very beginning of the first movie that they would not be casting any non-British actors which was part of the reason why many great actors missed out on the franchise.
Also read:“They were treating me as if I was 17”: Harry Potter Actress Had a Strange Time With Daniel Radcliffe During This Iconic Scene in $1.3B Movie After Actor Confessed His True Feelings to Her
Chris Columbus once opened up in an interview and revealed Robin Williams was also willing to be a part of theHarry Potterfranchise but Columbus had to turn him down because of the ‘only British actors rule‘.
Robin Williams was considered to play Hagrid in theHarry Potterseries
Once in an interview with Huffington Post back in 2016, the casting director of theHarry Pottermovies, Janet Hirshenson talked about howRobin Williamshad approached the director and revealed his wish to be cast in the movies but he was turned down because of the ‘only British actors‘ rule. Hirshenson said,
“The ‘only British’ rule was so important that Robin Williams was even turned down to play Hagrid…Robin had called [Columbus] because he really wanted to be in the movie, but it was a British-only edict, and once he said no to Robin, he wasn’t going to say yes to anybody else, that’s for sure. It couldn’t be.”
Also read:“I’d been playing a part like a gay man”: Harry Potter Star Was Convinced His Character Was Gay After Oscar-Winning Director Didn’t Consult With J.K. Rowling in $797M Movie
The iconic role of Hagrid in theHarry Pottermovies eventually went to the late Robbie Coltrane who went on to gain worldwide recognition for portraying the role.
Robin Williams was also considered for the role of Remus Lupin
After he was turned down for the role of Hagrid, Robin Williams allegedly reached out to Chris Columbus to play the spectacular role of Remus Lupin who appeared for the first time in the 3rd movie of the franchise,Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.However, it did not work out as the ‘only British rule‘ was very strictly followed in the casting of actors of the series. Chris Columbus once opened up about the situation in an interview withInsiderand said,
“I had a conversation with Robin Williams, who wanted to play Lupin. It was very difficult for me to say ‘It’s all British. There’s nothing I can do.’…Robin would have been brilliant. It would have been a different interpretation — I thought David Thewlis was great — but Robin would have been brilliant. Jo Rowling and myself said to each other when we first met, ‘Look, we want this cast to be 100 percent British.’ And by the way, I stuck to that.”
Also read:Harry Potter Star’s Mother Did Not Want Her to Be Brad Pitt’s Lover in His ‘Awful’ Movie, Was Repulsed by the Horrific Script
The ‘only British actors‘ rule of theHarry Potterfranchise was so strict that although Chris Columbus’ daughter, Eleanor Columbus was cast in a minor role in the first 2 movies, her character, Susan Bones was not given any dialogue in the movies as she was not British.
All movies of theHary Potterfilm series are currently streaming on HBO Max.
Source:Huffington PostandInsider
Shikhar Tiwari
Articles Published :347
Shikhar Tiwari is a Hollywood news author at Fandom Wire. He is a student at Manipal University Jaipur currently aspiring to be a Computer Science Engineer. Shikhar loves to combine his passion for writing with his love for Hollywood updates.
