Similarities To Real Life
Voldemort’s character draws certain parallels to three real-life dictators Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Benito Mussolini. However, J.K. Rowling uses Hitler as the bigger influence for Voldemort.
The Character Of Voldemort
For those who arent familiar with Harry Potter , Voldemort is the storys ultimate villain. Each year, he returns in some form to battle it out with his nemesis, Harry Potter.
Referred to as He Who Must Not Be Named by those in the wizarding world, Voldemorts goal is to achieve pure-blood dominance by ridding the world of Muggle people.
Ralph Fiennes, who portrays Voldemort, doesnt appear in the movies until the fourth film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He returns in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix but is absent in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Of course, he has most screen time in the final installments of the franchise: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Parts 1 and 2.
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He has 7.5 million Instagram followers.
Meanwhile, his uncle, Ralph Fiennes, who played Voldemort in all the films from The Goblet of Fire, has continued his huge success since Harry Potter.
He starred in the James Bond series, in which he has played Gareth Mallory / M, starting with the 2012 film Skyfall.
He was also in the most recent Bond film, No Time to Die.
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Bonus: The Creator Of The Harry Potter Universe Writer J K Rowling Was Asked By Producers To Play Lily The Mother Of The Boy Who Lived
Theres no point in denying that there is a great similarity between J. K. Rowling and Geraldine Somerville. Maybe that is why the producers of the saga wanted the writer to take on the role of Lily Potter in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, since she fit the profile so well. However, Rowling politely declined the invitation: The filmmakers did ask me to play Lily Potter in the first film, but I really am not cut out to be an actress, even one who just has to stand there and wave. I would have messed it up somehow. Its hard to believe that maybe we could have had the chance to see J. K. Rowling on the big screen, but its true. And we actually think that she would have done a great job!
Most people think that producers made the right call with the cast they chose for the Potter movies. Do you agree or is there someone who you think would have done a better job? Is there anybody you would have wanted to see casting a spell on the big screen?
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Hero keeps a low profile on social media.
His only account is on Instagram, where his most recent post was a magazine cover he shot for Flaunt, which he posted in February.
In a previous interview with W magazine, Hero said social media felt like he was “wasting time”, and that he only kept Instagram because his agents advised him to.
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It Took Two Hours To Apply His Makeup
Voldemort has a very specific scary look, owing largely to the fact that when Harry first meets him, hes essentially been resurrected from the dead.
He has deathly white and veiny skin, no hair, and snake-like slits where his nose should be. In the books, Voldemorts eyes are red, but the filmmakers decided to keep Ralph Fiennes eyes blue, which makes Voldemort seem more real and more frightening.
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According to Looper, it still took up to two hours a day to prepare the actor for the part. The makeup team had to be as quick as possible because Fiennes only had a limited amount of time every day to shoot his scenes with the child actors, who legally werent allowed to spend the entire day on set.
Henry Cavill Cedric Diggory
Before Cavill even dreamt of becoming the famous Superman who won the hearts of thousands of viewers around the world, things werent looking so bright for him. In fact, Cavill managed to lose not one, but 2 roles to Robert Pattinson. The first one is maybe lesser known by the public. He tried to get into Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where he auditioned to play Cedric Diggory. The second role he lost to Pattinson is a well-known story. Cavill came close to playing the role of Edward Cullen, the protagonist in the Twilight saga.
In fact, in the latter, he even turned out to be the first choice of writer Stephenie Meyer, creator of the Cullen universe. However, as you probably know, both roles, in the end, went to Pattinson. Cavill simply thought of the rejections as something good that happened in his life. After all, things happen in due time and theres no reason to rush anything.
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What Made Ralph Fiennes Change His Mind
In hindsight, Fiennes is glad to have been part of something as successful and impactful as the Harry Potter franchise.
But before he could have predicted how things would go if he did accept the role, he chose to join the project for another reason: his sisters children, who let him know what a big deal it would be to play Voldemort.
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I think the clincher was that my sister Marthawho has three children who were then probably about 12, 10 and 8she said, ‘What do you mean? Youve got to do it!’ Fiennes recalled . So then I rewound my thinking.
Iconic Harry Potter Roles Almost Played By Different Stars
WHEN the first Harry Potter film premiered way back in 2001, it launched three unknown children into superstardom.
It also cemented the careers of several well-known stars, including Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon and Maggie Smith in the eyes of a younger generation.
The Harry Potter cast are back together after 20 years to reminisce about the seriesCredit: TNI Press
But several of the key characters were almost played by different actors who ended up missing out on the chance of a lifetime.
Its been 20 years since the series debuted in the cinemas and now the original cast are preparing for a reunion.
Here we take a look at who almost played Harry, Hagrid and more and why they didnt make the cut.
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Harry Potter: The Cast Member You Never Knew Was Related To Voldemort Star In Real Life
The director said the family connection wasn’t the reason he got the part
It’s now 10 years on since the last Harry Potter film. Surely there is no info that could emerge that would surprise us.
But it turns out, there are two actors who featured in the series that are, in fact, related in real life.
In the Half-Blood Prince, we see Tom Riddle Jr. as a troubled child and teenager before he became the most evil wizard of all time .
In one scene, Albus Dumbledore visits 11-year-old Riddle in the orphanage, and explains to him about the magical world, inviting him to Hogwarts.
In this scene, the young Riddle is played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes’ actual nephew.
Hero Fiennes Tiffin, now 23, from London got the part over thousands of young actors who auditioned for the role.
Some speculated that he was selected due to the family connection, but Harry Potter director David Yates said this was not the case but admitted the family resemblance was a “clincher.”
Yates described Fiennes Tiffin as “very focused and disciplined” and said he “got the corners and dark moods and odd spirit of the character” as well as having a “wonderful haunted quality that seemed to bring Tom Riddle alive on-screen for us.”
While he was just 11 years old when he is in Harry Potter, Hero has gone on to star in lead roles including of Hardin Scott in the film After.
Nina Young As The Grey Lady
When the ghost of the Grey Lady first appeared in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, no one could have predicted how important the character would later become. True to the first few books, she was originally depicted as just another one of the many poltergeists that pesters the students of Hogwarts, with actress Nina Young floating around in the CGI role. However, it would eventually be revealed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that she was so much more than some random apparition.
The Grey Lady was Rowena Ravenclaw’s daughter Helena, who had given Tom Riddle access to her mother’s diadem so that it could be made into one of his horcruxes. Considering the enhanced importance of the role that emerged in the later books, the film part was given to a more accomplished actress instead of its originator. Kelly Macdonald, who was tearing up the silver and small screens alike with her celebrated work in No Country for Old Men and Boardwalk Empire, stepped into the ghost’s shoes to give them a little more gravitas in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. According to Pottermore, the actress had previously been considered for the role of Nymphadora Tonks.
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Elizabeth Spriggs As The Fat Lady
When the “Fat Lady”that is the unfortunate nickname of the Victorian-era woman in the moving portrait that opens the door to the Gryffindor common roomfirst appeared in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, it was the celebrated actress Elizabeth Spriggs who portrayed her. However, Spriggs’ portrayal was brief and rather rigid in blithely asking for the prefect’s password, so before the character would return to enjoy a little more light-hearted screen time in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the actress was replaced with someone experienced in being funny.
Instead of Spriggs, it was actress Dawn French who took on the role for the third film, bringing a more comedic element to the character as she desperately tries to impress the Hogwarts student body with her glass-breaking operatic skills, later ducking behind a neighboring painting’s hippopotamus when things get dicey. French earned the role after her Harry Potter spoof for charity caught the attention of Christopher Columbus, who directed the first two movies and co-produced the third. “I think she’s incredibly funny and her Harry Potter spoof for Comic Relief was pretty amazing,” he told the BBC of the decision to cast her.
He Eventually Lands Newt Scamander
While Eddie Redmayne never got the chance to play Tom Riddle or a member of the Weasley clan, he did get the chance to establish himself as a leading performer in the franchise when he was cast as Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts films, which are an extension of the main Harry Potter lore.
Even though Newt Scamander was not a major player in the original story, the studio and J.K. Rowling felt that there was a compelling story to tell, and so they went ahead with bringing these creatures and a young Newt Scamander to life.
When talking about the character in 2019, Redmayne told the press, What I love about Newt is he has his own magic. How hes not necessarily the greatest, most powerful wizard in the world, but he has his unique approach to magic.
So far, there have been two Fantastic Beasts films that have been released, and each of them has found success at the box office. While these stories may have caused a divide in the fandom, there is no denying that they draw people to theaters and have put the spotlight on Redmayne.
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Harry Potter: Every Actor To Play Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is the arch-antagonist of the entire Harry Potter story, but the dark wizard was portrayed by a number of actors on the big screen.
Lord Voldemort is one of the most famous characters in the Harry Potter book and movie franchise, but he’s been portrayed by a succession of different actors on the big screen. Initially spoken of in hushed tones, J.K. Rowling introduces the legend of Voldemort in the very first book, depicting a fearsome wizard who terrorized the entire magic world, only to be defeated while attempting to kill a young Harry Potter.
After his clash with the most dangerous baby of all time, Voldemort loses his physical form and spends the first few books attempting a revival. The first time fans witness Voldemort, he’s secreted on the rear side of a teacher’s head, for example, and can later be seen as a deformed, blanket-covered bundle of evil. Only in The Goblet of Fire does Voldemort regain his true form, and this regular changing of appearance necessitated a series of actors when adapting Harry Potter for film. Furthermore, Rowling often delves back into Voldemort’s past as the Hogwarts student Tom Riddle, resulting in an even wider selection of actors playing the villain.
While one or two Voldemort actors are widely known, others may only be recognizable by sight, and some perhaps flew under the radar altogether. Here are all the actors who played Lord Voldemort on the big screen.
Jennifer Smith As Lavender Brown
Although several of the actors portraying minor and background Hogwarts students came and went throughout the Harry Potter films, the recasting of Lavender Brown proved to be highly controversial. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it was black actress Jennifer Smith who sported the Gryffindor character’s robes. Shortly after the film’s release, J.K. Rowling debuted her sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which gave the character a much more central role than she had ever had before.
By the time that installment was adapted for the screen, it was a white actress named Jessie Cave who stepped into the part of Ron ‘s would-be love interest, which resulted in manycrying foul over the choice to replace Smith before she could have more meaningful screen time. There was no specific description of the character being white in the books, and even if there was, some people didn’t think it was necessary to replace her, especially since it seemed to imply that the character wouldn’t be lovable unless she was as pale as Ron. For what it’s worth, that wasn’t the last time the Harry Potter franchise would be accused of under-representing people of color.
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Derek Deadman As Tom The Innkeeper
The Leaky Cauldron’s chief barkeep Tom went through a sizable transformation between his first appearance in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and his return for another Diagon Alley moment in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. His hair was all gone, for one thing, and he looked a lot less stout.
The reason is that actor Derek Deadman did not return to the role for film three, and it was filled by Jim Tavare. Though Deadman was an accomplished actor before stepping into the world of witchcraft and wizardry, he largely left the movie scene after the first Harry Potter and only appeared in one film afterwards before passing away in 2014 from complications associated with his diabetes. Although it’s unclear whether Deadman chose to step away from the role, incoming director Alfonso Cuaron did want to darken up the atmosphere in Azkaban and even instructed Tavare to play the role like Igor from Young Frankenstein, which may mean that Deadman’s chipper persona was no longer a good fit.