Helena Bonham Carter Played Bellatrix Lestrange
Dark witch Bellatrix Lestrange was played by Helena Bonham Carter.
Before joining the cast in “Order of the Phoenix,” Bonham Carter had already made a name for herself in films like “Hamlet” , “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” , “Fight Club”, “Planet of the Apes” , and “Corpse Bride” .
In between filming the “Harry Potter” movies, the actress took on other iconic roles, including Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” , the Red Queen in “Alice in Wonderland” , and Queen Elizabeth in “The King’s Speech” .
Richard Harris Turned Down Harry Potter Three Times
Richard Harris says he turned down his starring role in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone three times. He only took the role of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School, because his 11-year-old granddaughter talked him into it.
Zap2it.com reports that the Irish actor had never read the JK Rowling when he was approached about taking a role in the film. “All I knew is that they kept offering me the part and raising the salary every time they called. I kept turning it down,” said Harris.
Harris told Zap2it that he was aware of the huge box-office potential of the film, but at the age of 71 did not want to be roped into a series of sequels.
“Anyone involved has to agree to be in the sequels, all of them, and that’s not how I wanted to spend the last years of my life, so I said no over and over again,” said Harris.
However, Harris’s granddaughter Ella, heard of the offers. “She said, ‘Papa, I hear you’re not going to be in the Harry Potter movie’, and she said, ‘If you don’t play Dumbledore then I will never speak to you again,'” said Harris. That made up his mind and he finally agreed to the role, which only involved about three weeks work spread over a few months.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone opens nationwide in the UK on November 16.
Who Is Michael Gambon
Michael Gambon was born on the 19th of October near Dublin, Ireland. He didnt get his debut on stage until 1962, but his career steadily took off from there.
He was a great replacement for Richard Harris, both being Irish and having similar backgrounds. Michael Gambon also wasnt too far from Harris with a height shy of 6 feet and similar traits.
- Born: October 19, 1940
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Lily Potter Was Played By Geraldine Somerville
Actress Geraldine Somerville played Lily Evans Potter, Harry’s mother.
Before joining the “Harry Potter” franchise in “Sorcerer’s Stone,” Somerville starred as Juliet in the 1994 TV movie adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” and appeared alongside Coltrane on “Cracker” from 1993 to 1995.
In between filming the series, Somerville joined Smith and Gambon in “Gosford Park” .
Rubeus Hagrid Was Played By Robbie Coltrane
Rubeus Hagrid, Hogwarts’ lovable half-giant gamekeeper and care of magical creatures professor, was played by Robbie Coltrane.
Before he played Hagrid, Coltrane was known for appearing on the BBC miniseries “Tutti Frutti” and starring on ITV’s “Cracker” from 1993 to 1996,
He had also already played Valentin Zukovsky in two James Bond films “GoldenEye” and “The World Is Not Enough” .
In between the “Harry Potter” films, Coltrane appeared in “Van Helsing” , “Ocean’s Twelve” , and voiced a character in “The Tale of Despereaux” alongside Watson.
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Robert Hardy Who Played Cornelius Fudge Died In 2017
Robert Hardys acting career spanned 70 years, and the actor passed away at 91. His children wrote a statement to Observer upon his death, saying: Gruff, elegant, twinkly, and always dignified, he is celebrated by all who knew him and loved him and everyone who enjoyed his work. Richard was awarded a CBE for his acting talents.
Leilah Sutherland And Rochelle Douglas As Alicia Spinnet
Alicia Spinnet is one of those minor Harry Potter characters who often appears in the background, but never actually has any lines. Therefore, she has been played by a number of different actresses, although only two actually received credit for the role. According to IMDB, Leilah Sutherland played Alicia Spinnet in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, where she is seen with Harry when he plays his first Quidditch match.
Alicia was a chaser for the Gryffindor quidditch team and became a member of Dumbledore’s Army in the books, although it’s unclear whether or not she’s part of the villainous club in the films. Rochelle Douglas took over the role for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, again showing up during a Quidditch related scene. Neither Sutherland or Douglas have any other acting credits, but Douglas is a former international gymnastics champion and current girl’s gymnastics coach for Europa Gym in Crayford, a town about 20 miles east of London.
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Richard Harris Vs Michael Gambon As Dumbledore In Harry Potter
Dumbledore is one of the most important characters and influences during Harry Potters life at Hogwarts. It was not easy when Richard Harris passed away, and the role had to be cast to someone new. This can either destroy a film or make it better.
Richard Harris did a wonderful job encompassing the idealistic, caring, and hopeful aura of Dumbledore that reflects the character from the books. Michael Gambon proved to be more exciting and a little rough around the edges, Dumbledore.
People argue that one is better than the other, but this is difficult because both have a unique twist on the character without straying too far from the books.
Both provided great performances that will forever be remembered by Harry Potter fans.
Michael Gambon Was An Unpredictable Dumbledore
Michael Gambon brought a more unpredictable and new Dumbledore in his adaptation that made the character more rounded. This is not to downgrade Harriss version, but Gambon brought his style.
We see a more serious version of Dumbledore, which is perfect later in the series. This shift helps set the tone of the films and how there will be a transformation in the series themes.
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Guillermo Del Toro M Night Shyamalan And Marc Forster Were Approached To Direct Prisoner Of Azkaban
The third film would be the first in the Harry Potter series that would not be directed by Chris Columbus. While this had nothing to do with the death of Harris, it did mean producers also had to look for a new director. Guillermo del Toro, M. Night Shyamalan, and Marc Forster were all approached but did not feel they were a good fit for Harry Potter.
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Thewlis Has Had A Busy Career Since Harry Potter
In 2012, he starred in Wright’s short film “Separate We Come, Separate We Go” which premiered at Cannes.
Other notable film credits include “RED 2” , “The Theory of Everything” , “Macbeth” , “Anomalisa” , “Wonder Woman” , and “Justice League” .
Thewlis also voices the Shame Wizard on the animated Netflix series “Big Mouth” and recently had a recurring role on National Geographic’s “Barkskins.”
The actor recently appeared in “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” and “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” , and he’s slated to appear in “Avatar 3.”
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The Actors Who Almost Appeared In ‘harry Potter’
Everyone knows Harry Potter. Both the book and film series are huge parts of contemporary culture. The films helped restart the UK film industry, and introduced the world to the UKs finest acting talent. However, which actors didnt get a place on the Harry Potter cast?
When Richard Harris passed away in 2002, it raised the question of who would take his iconic role as Dumbledore in the ‘Harry Potter’ series. As we all know, Michael Gambon eventually took over the part, but director Chris Columbus has recently spoken about the casting choice in an interview with The Wrap. He recalled meeting with the Peter O’Toole as he thought O’Toole would be good for the part, but the actor turned it down. “Richard was his best friend and he felt it was intrusive from an acting point of view so he decided not to do it,” Columbus revealed.
Why Didnt Gambon Read The Books
Gambon didnt read a single word of the Harry Potter series to prepare for his role as Dumbledore. He did this because he didnt want to take away from his performance.
Gambon believed that knowing the character from the book would restrict the creativity of his performance and decided it was best to make Dumbledore his own. It was a risk but one he was willing to take.
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In What Book Is Dumbledore Demoted From Chief Warlock Of The Wizengamot
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore is demoted from Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, the wizard high court of law. He is reinstated during Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and remains in that post until his death.
Jk Rowling Revealed That Dumbledore Fell In Love With Grindelwald
J. K. Rowling made something of a huge revelation in 2007 when she was at a book event in the US. The author revealed to stunned fans that Professor Dumbledore was gay and had actually fallen in love with Grindelwald. While there was no mention of this in the books or films, it may have informed Gambons future performance.
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The Process Of Recasting Dumbledore For The Harry Potter Franchise
Cuarón and the rest of the Harry Potter crew spent months trying to refill the role of Dumbledore for Prisoner of Azkaban – and beyond. A number of popular and established actors were considered for the role, including Christopher Lee, who was a top pick but couldn’t commit due to scheduling conflicts. Fellow Lord of the Rings star Ian McKellen was also considered but felt uncomfortable taking the role due to his rocky relationship with Harris. After Peter O’Toole’s age and health status became worrisome, the producers went with Michael Gambon as Harris’ official replacement as Dumbledore.
Gambon, another Irish-born actor, played Dumbledore for the remaining six films in the Harry Potter series. His portrayal became one of the actor’s best-known roles, but his version of the character was drastically different than his predecessor. This threw many viewers off at first, but his prominence and longevity in the franchise won fans over. The actor decided early on that he wouldn’t try to copy Harris’ performance and, instead, made Dumbledore his own. The circumstances were unfortunate, but Gambon stepped up in a time of need and gave the beloved book character a special on-screen counterpart.
- Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore Release date: Apr 15, 2022
Elizabeth Spriggs And Dawn French As The Fat Lady
In the Harry Potter books, the Fat Lady is a sassy, benevolent character whose painting guards the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Upon receiving the weekly password, she lets students into their house, although usually somewhat reluctantly. Some fans were taken aback when Elizabeth Spriggs was cast in the Fat Lady role, since she was an older Shakespearean actress that wasn’t necessarily known for her comedic chops. Spriggs tended to take more matronly roles, which didn’t really fit with the Fat Lady’s bubbly, sometimes drunken, and easily irritated, personality.
When Alfonso Cuaron signed on as director for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, he recast the Fat Lady and gave the part to British television comedian Dawn French. The Fat Lady had a much more active role in Prisoner of Azkaban, since Sirius Black attacks her painting, and French provided some much needed comic relief. Keeping to the whole “when the fat lady sings” expression, she attempts to break a glass with her singing voice while Harry and his fellow Gryffindors impatiently wait to get into their common room. Although it’s one of the most memorable scenes in the film, unfortunately, French did not reprise her role in any of the later films — though the Fat Lady is mentioned in subsequent books.
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Richard Fish And Domhnall Gleeson As Bill Weasley
Although he’s a Weasley, Bill is only mentioned in passing during the first two books, since he lives on his own in Egypt. When Arthur Weasley wins The Daily Prophet‘s Grand Prize Galleon Draw during Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the whole family is able to finally go visit him. It is there that we first see a glimpse of Bill in a photograph, which appears in The Daily Prophet. Since he was a new character and didn’t have any lines, the casting director for the films was able to bring on a background actor. Richard Fish was hired to portray Bill Weasley in the photograph alongside the other Weasley family members.
Seeing as how Fish had no real professional acting experience to speak of, it was no surprise then that his role was recast and given to Domhnall Gleeson. Not only does Domhnall look more like the description of Bill from the books, but he’s also the son of Harry Potter veteran Brendan Gleeson . There’s actually a passage in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince where Bill is described as follows, “His scars were as bad as ever in truth, he now bore a distinct resemblance to Mad-Eye Moody, though thankfully with both eyes and legs still intact.” How then, could the producers pass up an opportunity to actually use the actor who played Mad-Eye Moody’s son for the part?
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Creation For Books And Films
Rowling has suggested that she may have inadvertently taken the name from the hogwort plant , which she had seen at some time before writing the series, although the names “The Hogwarts” and “Hoggwart” appear in the 1954 book How to Be Topp by . The name “Hogwart” also appears in the 1986 .
Most exterior scenes were shot on location at , but views of the exterior of the entire school were created from shots of with a digital spire added to the towers. Durham Cathedral also served as a set for Hogwarts interiors.
A scale model was created for exterior shots of the entire school. Models of Alnwick Castle and Durham Cathedral were also built to create more integration between the model and on location shots. It took a team of 86 artists and crew members 74 years worth of man hours to complete the model.
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
In the second novel, a younger Dumbledore appears in a series of flashbacks, seen by Harry in a diary once owned by Tom Riddle, the most gifted student in Hogwarts’ history – and the future Lord Voldemort. Through the diary, Harry sees Riddles memory of Dumbledore questioning him about a series of attacks on Muggle-born students. In the present, Lucius Malfoy forces the school’s other 11 governors to suspend Dumbledore as Headmaster in the wake of attacks by a basilisk in the school when the Chamber of Secrets is opened. Dumbledore is reinstated when the governors discover that Ginny Weasley was taken into the Chamber of Secrets and Lucius is found to have coerced the other governors into suspending him.
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Michael Gambon Was The Dumbledore Needed For The War
Gambons version of Dumbledore has more edge, more bite. He is the Dumbledore that is needed to fight against Voldemort and the darkness that comes with it.
His gruff demeanor helps the fans and Harry Potter to prepare for the rough time that is about to occur. It also reveals a new side, one that may have been created in the past from run-ins with Death Eaters and Voldemort.
Smith Is One Of The Most Famous Tv Actresses Of The Decade
After “Harry Potter,” Smith appeared in films like “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and “The Lady in the Van” . She also reprised her voice role in “Sherlock Gnomes” .
Her most notable role was as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham on “Downton Abbey,” which ran for six seasons from 2010 to 2015. She also reprised the role in the 2019 “Downton Abbey” movie.
The actress also found success on the stage, most recently starring in the West End production of “A German Life” in 2019.
Smith is currently working on the upcoming holiday film “A Boy Called Christmas.”
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