Jk Rowling Was Offered The Part Of Lily Potter But Feared She Would Screw It Up
The two are rather uncanny, but it was actress Geraldine Somerville who played Lilly Potter, not Rowling.
Rowling was offered the role, however, and explained on her official site why she turned it down: “The filmmakers did ask me to play Lily Potter in the Mirror of Erised scene 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.”
The Dark Truth About Gilderoy Lockhart In Harry Potter
The Harry Potter series plays host to some of the most beloved characters in all of pop culture. Even the less morally upright folks like Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy have no shortage of devout fans. However, the series is not without its villains, who viewers and readers alike absolutely cannot stand. This isn’t necessarily for their dark deeds alone sometimes it’s for a number of reasons. The poster boy for this camp is none other than Kenneth Branagh’s Gilderoy Lockhart, the most pompous Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Hogwarts has ever seen.
Lockhart arrives in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. He’s characterized as a literary genius, having penned many books about evil creatures and the fantastical encounters he’s had with them over the years. Armed with an over-inflated ego and a moderate knowledge of magic, Lockhart pulls the wool over many eyes at Hogwarts, convincing everyone that he’s a standup guy worth all the praise in the world. However, his true villainy in pursuit of never-ending glory eventually comes to light, unraveling his entire life. Here’s the very dark reality of who Gilderoy Lockhart truly is.
Kate Winslet Helena Ravenclaw
When one of the most popular sagas of the time was coming to an end, producers thought they had to come up with a great way to say goodbye. They wanted every detail to be perfect and that included finding an actress who could live up to the greatness of Helena Ravenclaw, a character whose part in the narrative was kind of short, but of the utmost importance. The name at the top of the list was Kate Winslet. Unfortunately, her agent rejected the script even before checking to see if she was interested at all in taking part in the project. Thats how the Grey Lady ended up being played by the equally brilliant Kelly Macdonald.
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Hatty Jones Hermione Granger
As for the role of Hermione Granger, producers had a hard time between 2 young actresses that were equally fit to play the smarter sorceress of Hogwarts: Hatty Jones, star of the feature film Madeline, and Emma Watson, who until then was an unknown actress. Interestingly enough, the decision was made based on casting director Janet Hirshensons impressions of Emma. Hirshernson believed the young woman would bring a much-needed dull side to the whole story. In the end, it seems like she did the right thing, given that Watson managed to steal the audiences hearts and souls thanks to her skills and empathic nature.
A star is born, Hirshenson said during an interview. Hirshensons decision was so accurate that today it would be impossible to imagine any other actress playing Hermione.
Magical Abilities And Skills
- “Harry, Harry, it’s not nearly as simple as that. There was work involved. I had to track these people down. Ask them exactly how they managed to do what they did. Then I had to put a Memory Charm on them so they wouldnt remember doing it. If theres one thing I pride myself on, its my Memory Charms.”
- Lockhart explaining to Harry Potter his gift for Memory Charms
In his youth, Gilderoy was acknowledged by his professors as having been cleverer than most of his classmates, having been of above-average in intelligence and ability, and for having had the potential to become a great wizard by his teachers, had he just decided to work hard to get there. Years of misuse and abandonment and sole focus on the Memory Charm eventually diminished and rusted his magical abilities nearly beyond repair, thus making him unskilled and incompetent in most fields of magic.
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Helen Mccrory Bellatrix Lestrange
The great and scary witch, Bellatrix Lestrange, was originally going to be played by Helen McCrory. With McCrory being English, there was no possible veto coming from J.K. Rowling. However, at the time in which the Harry Potter movies were to be shot, the star from Netflixs drama series Peaky Blinders became pregnant. Theres probably no better reason to give up playing such an amazing character. Eventually, it was Helena Bonham Carter who replaced McCrory and she delivered one of the best performances of the saga. Still, McCrory hadnt said her final words on the matter. Luckily for us, she managed to come back to the casting in the last 3 movies, but this time as Narcissa Malfoy.
Liam Aiken Was A Favorite For The Role Of Harry Potter
In a 2016 HuffPost interview, casting director Janet Hirshensom said that an American actor was tested for the role of Harry Potter, but only one. That was Liam Aiken, who had worked with “Sorcerer’s Stone” director Christopher Columbus in 1998’s “Stepmom.”
Again, Aiken wasn’t given the role because he was American and Rowling wanted British actors only. However, Aiken did find some success for himself in a different movie based on a popular children’s book series when he starred in 2004’s “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” as Klaus Baudelaire opposite Jim Carrey’s Count Olaf.
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Jamie Campbell Bower Tom Riddle
Actor Jamie Campbell Bower is most likely a big fan of the wizard sagas. This beloved star had not only been part of the cast of Twilight, but he also appeared in The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. Of course, little did he know back then that he would also appear in other movies based on J.K. Rowlings work Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a franchise that acts as a sort of spin-off for the Harry Potter world. He played Grindelwald in both Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
And were saying that because we want to clarify something that many people still dont know: before landing that role, Jamie Campbell Bower had auditioned to play the young version of Tom Riddle in the sixth film of the Harry Potter saga. Not only that, but he was even featured in TeenVogue magazine. In the end, he was not chosen to play the part, but the reasons behind his rejection remain unclear. The role was, as you know, left in the hands of Frank Dillane.
Lockhart Personally Fought To Put Harry In Detention
Lockhart loves Harry. He’s a publicity goldmine and, therefore, he feels obliged to impart some wisdom on fame and how to deal with it . Fans see Lockhart giving Harry some advice during detention, but their alliance there isn’t a coincidence.
That’s because, in the source material, it’s revealed that Lockhart actually fought hard to ensure he could have some one on one time with the Boy Who Lived. He thought Harry would be happy about this but, actually, that isn’t the case at all …
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Jason Isaacs Gilderoy Lockhart
Jason Isaacs, known today for having played Lucius Malfoy, initially wanted to play a completely different role: half-blood wizard Gilderoy Lockhart. However, the producers felt that Isaacs would be a much better fit for Draco Malfoys father and also one of the greatest adversaries that Potter has had to deal with during the whole saga. The funny thing is that, at the same time, the actor was already slated to play Captain Hook in Peter Pan, so he didnt want to be linked to the image of 2 childish villains. This is the reasoning that led him to turn down the role in the first place.
Luckily for us and all Potterheads, Isaacs family stepped in and convinced him to play the wizard known for having long, smooth blond hair. Over the weekend, everyone who knew me called me: nieces, nephews, godchildren, and then their parents, he said. They all tried to persuade me to take the job, not because they cared about me, but because they wanted to visit the set! he added laughingly.
Hugh Ultimately Moved On From The Rom
While “Two Weeks Notice” did decently well at the box office, it of course was not a major hit along the lines of the “Harry Potter” franchise .
Now that he’s older, Hugh Grant’s rom-com days are definitively behind him. “I’ve gotten too old and ugly and fat to do them anymore,” Grant said during that Hollywood Reporter roundtable. “So now I’ve done other things and I’ve got marginally less self-hatred” .
In the years since Grant left the rom-com world behind him, he’s surprised and delighted audiences with roles in “A Very English Scandal,” “The Undoing,” and of course, “Paddington 2.”
According to The Guardian, at the time that Grant declined the role of Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Alan Cumming was allegedly the frontrunner for the role. However, eventually, the part would go to Kenneth Branagh, who really took to the role. And in case of fans need more proof than Branagh’s performance in the film check out this somewhat recently unearthed photoshoot of Branagh in character as Lockhart.
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He Ended Up In St Mungo’s Hospital
Fans of the big-screen Potter adventures never see Lockhart again after he accidentally erases his own memory. He’s last seen beaming at the sight of Fawkes pulling him, Ginny and Ron out of the Chamber of Secrets following Tom Riddle’s defeat. Yet things are different in the source material.
In the Order of the Phoenix, Harry and his friends visit Arthur Weasley in St Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. There, they bump into Lockhart. He’s back to his cocky old self but can’t remember a thing about his old life, only that he was famous and still receives fan mail, years after leaving Hogwarts. Tragically, the gang is informed that Lockhart will have to spend his remaining days on a ward because he can’t be trusted by himself.
Appearance In The Film
Lockhart was first seen in Flourish and Blotts at his official signing of his latest book. He invites Harry to take a photograph with him. He announces that he will be the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
He is next seen in the classroom where his class goes awry when he rather foolishly unleashes freshly-caught Cornish pixies and poorly subduing them.
Lockhart is next seen with Harry answering Lockhart’s fan mails for his detention, due to Harry and Ron crash the flying car into the Whomping Willow. Lockhart is later seen with the staff and students when they discover Mrs. Norris petrified on the torch clamp and the message on the wall.
During a Quidditch match, Harry breaks his arm because of a charmed bludger Lockhart attempts to heals it, but only removing the bones in Harry’s arm in progress.
Later on, Lockhart founded a short-lived Dueling Club in the Great Hall. Snape volunteered to be his assistant and they demonstrate. Harry and Draco are called to duel each other, but Draco casts a snake during the duel. Lockhart is unable get rid of it, until Snape dissolves it away.
After Ginny Weasley was taken into the Chamber of Secrets, Lockhart was assigned by McGonagall to rescue her. After he reluctantly agrees, but however, he is actually planning to leave Hogwarts instead of rescuing her, revealing himself to be a coward. When Harry and Ron forced him to help them find her, his fraudulence is exposed.
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Kate Winslet’s Agent Said No To Helena Ravenclaw On Her Behalf
Kate Winslet was offered the chance to join the “Harry Potter” series in the small but important part of Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of house founder Rowena.
But, according to ScreenRant, Winslet’s agent rejected the offer before the actress even saw it, believing that she wouldn’t want to “follow suit with every other actor in Britain by being a part of ‘Harry Potter.'”
It remains to be seen as to whether Winslet would have wanted to join the franchise or not, but the role eventually went to Kelly Macdonald.
Differences From The Book
At 766 pages in the British edition and 870 in the American edition, Order of the Phoenix is the longest book in the Harry Potter series, however the film is the second shortest. Screenwriter Michael Goldenberg described his task to cut down the novel as searching for “the best equivalent way to tell the story. My job was to stay true to the spirit of the book, rather than to the letter”. Goldenberg said that Rowling told him, the producers, and Yates that “she just wanted to see a great movie, and gave permission to take whatever liberties felt needed to take to translate the book into a movie she would love”. Cutting down the book to meet the time frame of the film, Goldenberg explained, became “clearer when figured out that the organising principle of the screenplay was to narrate Harry’s emotional journey”. He and Yates “looked for every opportunity to get everything could in there. And where couldn’t, to sort of pay homage to it, to have it somewhere in the background or to feel like it could be taking place off-screen”.
Rita Skeeter, the journalist played by Miranda Richardson in Goblet of Fire, was also removed. In the book, Hermione blackmails her into writing an article that supports Harry as the rest of the Wizarding world denies his claims. Richardson noted that “it’s never gonna be the book on film, exactly. … They’ll take certain aspects from the book and make it something that they hope is going to be commercial and that people want to see”.
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Tom Felton Ron Weasley And Harry Potter
You might find this hard to believe, but its true. Before becoming the naughty Draco Malfoy, Tom Felton auditioned to play Ron Weasley and even Harry Potter. Despite not being chosen for either role, the actor claims there was never any jealousy or rivalry behind the scenes between him and Radcliffe or Grint. On the contrary, he was very grateful to have the opportunity to appear in the movies at all. Im even more grateful that I got the character of Draco, there was a great sense of kind of being on a team, he said. And it seems that the choices were indeed perfect, like Felton mentioned, as thats how each of the actors becomes a living legend in their own role.
Eddie Redmayne Another Version Of Tom Riddle
Jamie Campbell Bower wasnt the only actor who was interested in playing the young version of Harry Potters nemesis, Lord Voldemort, also known as Tom Riddle. Much like Campbell Bower, Eddie Redmayne didnt manage to land the role of the larger-than-life villain, but his patience was also rewarded when he was cast in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise, this time as the main character, Newt Scamander.
During an interview, Eddie revealed that even though he didnt even receive any feedback after the audition, over the years he still had a ray of hope shining somewhere inside his soul that he would at least be cast as one of the Weasley family members. Of course, as we all well know, this didnt happen. But fortunately, this brilliant actor did manage to get to play his part in a universe created by J. K. Rowling and he did a great job. In the end, it was Christian Coulson who played Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
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Rubeus Hagrid Couldn’t Stand Him
Rubeus Hagrid is the very definition of a gentle giant. He may look rough and tough, especially with his long matted hair and beard, but he’s soft on the inside. He defends every Hogwarts teacher to the hilt, much to Harry’s annoyance. But Lockhart is the one exception.
Hagrid leaves Harry, Ron and Hermione stunned by being openly critical of the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher after Lockhart tried to convince him to buy his books. Furthermore, the famous wizard is left infuriated when Hagrid informs him Harry is more famous than he’ll ever be. And Hagrid wasn’t the only teacher who had an issue with the man …
He Ultimately Failed Because The Job Was Cursed
There were a few reasons why Lockhart failed during his time at Hogwarts. He was useless, self-centered and didn’t care about furthering the minds of young students. But there’s also another one: the job he took was actually cursed by Lord Voldemort many years prior to his appointment.
This is revealed in the Half-Blood Prince book. The Dark Lord sat down for a job interview with Albus Dumbledore years after leaving Hogwarts and, when he didn’t land the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, he jinxed it. No teacher ever stayed in the post for longer than a year afterward, but the curse is eventually lifted when Voldemort dies during the events of the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
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Kenneth Branagh Had An Affair With Helena Bonham Carter While Married To Emma Thompson
Kenneth Branagh famous Shakesperean actor and director who played Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter wed Emma Thompson in 1989. Thompson portrayed Professor Trelawney in the Harry Potter movies. Her character boasted an off-kilter disposition and a warm heart she saw peoples futures via tea leaves.
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As for Branagh and Thompsons relationship, the two met starring opposite each other in the 1987 BBC TV drama Fortunes of War. They married two years later. Yet, Emma Thompson filed for divorce six years following their marriage , as Cosmopolitan notes.
Harry Potter: Things Only Book Fans Know About Gilderoy Lockhart
Harry Potter’s Gilderoy Lockhart is the worst. He’s pompous, arrogant and obnoxious. But he comes into play much more in the books than in the movies.
When it comes to Harry Potter‘s Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers, the Boy Who Lived didn’t have much luck. Quirinus Quirrell tried to kill him, Alastor Moody turned out to be a Death Eater named Barty Crouch Jr., Dolores Umbridge attempted to bully him into submission and Severus Snape … was Severus Snape. When it comes to Gilderoy Lockhart, however, Harry encountered a teacher who was inept, incompetent and conniving.
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Lockhart was played by Kenneth Branagh in his only movie appearance in The Chamber Of Secrets. While the actor did a good job of playing the teacher, not every piece of information about the scammer made it onto the big screen.
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