Emily Dale And Georgina Leonidas As Katie Bell
Katie Bell was another minor character who was replaced after she was finally given lines in one of the later films. She’s close friends with Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, and all three are chasers for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Initially, she was played by Emily Dale in the first two films. Dale has had no other film credits since then and it’s unknown what her current occupation is.
Come Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the role of Katie Bell was recast and given to Georgina Leonidas, who played the part for the next two films as well. Although still a minor character, Katie had lines in Half-Blood Prince, along with a scary scene where she becomes cursed by a necklace intended to assassinate Dumbledore. Leonidas only had a few TV and film credits pre and post-Potter, but has gone on to perform regularly at the Theatre Royal Windsor near Windsor Castle in Berkshire.
The Tragedy Of Pansy Parkinson
Unlike other Slytherin characters such as Draco Malfoy or Regulus Black, Pansy Parkinson didn’t change and grow much over the course of seven books, and she remained the girl version of Dudley Dursley – who at least changed enough to admit he would miss Harry by the end. Pansy, on the other hand, wanted to hand Harry over to Lord Voldemort. Perhaps it would be more precise to say she is a younger version of Bellatrix Lestrange.
And in her stupid eagerness to betray Harry and let Voldemort win the final battle, Pansy painted all of Slytherin House as cowards and “bad people” in a stereotyped way, even though obviously some of the students were first- and second-year children who barely knew any spells, and who couldn’t fight anyway. We don’t even know if any Slytherin students were left in the school who were over over 17, except for Draco, Crabbe and Goyle . McGonagall ordered the Slytherins to leave the Great Hall with Filch, and while most of the Ravenclaws left too, they were not considered cowards or traitors like the Slytherins.
Played in the films by Genevieve Gaunt
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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The Order Of The Phoenix
Pansy, along with Draco Malfoy, became Prefect for Slytherin House in her fifth year. She joined the Inquisitorial Squad, a group formed by the High Inquisitor and Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Dolores Umbridge. She helped try to rat out the female members of Dumbledore’s Army by searching the girls’ bathrooms and getting the list of members. Along with other members of the Inquisitorial Squad, Pansy was jinxed during the final rebellion of Fred and George Weasley she received a pair of antlers and had to recover for a day in the hospital wing.
Pansy tried to unease Harry Potter at a Quidditch match by tempting him, but Harry seemed unshaken. She also led a crowd of Slytherins in a chorus of Weasley is Our King at a few matches. She continued to be very rude to others and insulted Harry and Cho Chang, as well as the late Cedric Diggory, after seeing them together.
Cooper Hefner Fell In Love With Pansy
Well, not really. But when he saw Byrne playing her, he was hooked. Back in 2016 he was interviewed by LA Weekly and said “Scout Willis was one of my closest friends growing up. And, at the time, she was at Brown University with Emma Watson, so I thought that was my in.” Not so fast says, Scarlett. Poor old Coop spent five years “courting” her on before she would agree to go out with him! The result was an ice cream date in Germany.
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It must have been very good ice cream because the two were engaged in 2015. Cooper, of course, asked Scarlett’s father’s permission and rolled up with “a massive yellow diamond”. Did they do the mega-wedding thing? No way. In 2019 they simply went to the local courthouse and tied the knot without any fuss. Celebrations came later.
Afterward, there was kind of a gush-fest with the two going nuts posting on social media. Cooper posted some pictures of their modest ceremony, saying “Cheers to a life full of love, happiness, adventure, and great purpose, Mrs. Hefner. I love you dearly …” Byrne for her part said how “proud” she was to stand by his side.
Then in August of 2020, little Betsy came along.
The two seem totally, utterly, thoroughly loved up. Harry Potter opened the doors to Scarlett’s personal happiness. Cooper’s too.
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Sharon Sandhu And Afshan Azad As Padma Patil
One-half of the Patil sisters, Padma was originally played by Sharon Sandhu in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Sandhu was another young actor who was probably just cast as a student in the background, since she was originally just credited as Girl #2. Even though she was a Ravenclaw in the books, the filmmakers chose to keep her in Gryffindor with her sister Parvati. Padma and Parvati were described by Dean Thomas as the best-looking girls in the school during Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Padma was likely recast for that film since Goblet of Fire is when she went to the Yule Ball with Ron Weasley and had a larger role.
Afshan Azhad took over as Padma and continued to play her for the rest of the films, showing up for Dumbledore’s Army meetings with her sister and conversing with other students after the Battle of Hogwarts. Although Azhad has no other film or TV credits listed, she continued to work in Asia as a presenter for the Asian Media Awards and still travels to comic book conventions. She also made headlines back in 2011, when her father and brother attacked her for dating a Hindu man, which goes against her family’s Muslim tradition.
Verne Troyer And Warwick Davis As Griphook
Best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies, Verne Troyer also originally played the role of the Gringotts Bank goblin, Griphook, in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Although Troyer was shown in the film, his voice was dubbed over by another actor with dwarfism, Warwick Davis. You may remember Davis as the Ewok Wicket from Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi and Willow from the film of the same name. It’s likely that the combination of Troyer’s high-pitched voice and American accent weren’t satisfactory for the vision the filmmakers had of Griphook.
When next we saw Griphook, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Troyer had been replaced by Warwick Davis completely. Up until that point, Davis had actually played another Harry Potter character, Professor Filius Flitwick, the Charms master and head of Ravenclaw house. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Davis actually played both roles within the same film, although Professor Flitwick looks significantly younger than he had in the earlier films.
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Peter Cartwright And David Ryall As Elphias Doge
Though not shown very much in the films, Elphias Doge was one of Albus Dumbledore’s best friends, whom he met while at Hogwarts. The two friends were supposed to travel the world together after they graduated, but Dumbledore was unable to do so after the death of his mother. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Doge was played by Peter Cartwright, a long time bit part actor who had a few featured roles before his death in 2013. Cartwright had no dialogue in his appearance as Doge, as he merely showed up alongside the other members of the Advanced Guard to accompany Harry Potter to the Order of the Phoenix’s headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place.
Doge shows up again in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 during Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour’s wedding, this time played by David Ryall. Harry engages Doge in conversation about Dumbledore, since he had written an obituary for him in The Daily Prophet. Ryall had a fifty-year acting career in both theater and film before appearing in the Harry Potter series, and he did a fine job as Cartwright’s replacement.
Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince
Pansy is anxious about Draco’s future and safety when Lord Voldemort employs Draco as a Death Eater. Pansy is at first admiring Draco’s decision but then she becomes fearful for his success. Pansy is shown to be openly romantically involved with Draco in this year and attacks Harry when he cuts open Draco’s face with a dark spell.
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Jennifer Smith And Jessie Cave As Lavender Brown
Now on to the most controversial Harry Potter recasting to date: Lavender Brown. Up until Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Lavender was played by an uncredited actress, since she was in the background with some of the other Gryffindor students. However, in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban film, she was credited as Jennifer Smith and seen more often during classes with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, including Care of Magical Creatures and Divination. It isn’t until the sixth film that Lavender is seen again, but boy does she look different.
The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince book did not come out until 2005, the same year the movie adaptation of Goblet of Fire came out. At that time, the Harry Potter producers found out that Lavender begins to have a more important role as Ron’s first girlfriend. As a result, they recast the role and gave it to a white actress instead, Jessie Cave. While Lavender’s race is not explicitly mentioned in the books, many fans were offended by this sudden change of race, taking to sites like Tumblr to vent their frustrations and even writing academic essays on the subject. It’s likely that the original casting was more of an afterthought than a purposeful choice, assigning extras minor characters’ names from the book so they could keep track of them. Nevertheless, it was a pretty reprehensible decision — one that Warner Brothers never apologized for.
Relationships With Other Characters
Pansy often picks on other students, mainly Gryffindors like Parvati Patil, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. She tends to concentrate her aggressions on those less powerful, younger, or smaller than herself. Her friends are other Slytherin girls, and she is often seen giggling with them. In her sixth year, Pansy seems to like fawning over Draco Malfoy, fondling and stroking his hair.
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Who Is Cooper Hefner’s Wife
Cooper Hefner’s wife Scarlett Byrne is famous for playing Slytherin house’s Pansy Parkinson in the ‘Harry Potter’ film series. She first appeared in ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ in 2009 and then returned with her character in both the ‘Deathly Hallows’ films. She has also appeared in the hit drama series ‘The Vampire Diaries’ as Nora Hildegard. Byrne was a major recurring character in the seventh season of the series and appeared in twelve episodes of the season. The character was then killed off in the sixteenth episode. However, her most well-known part is that of Lexi in the TV series ‘Falling Skies’.
Cooper and Scarlett Byrne met in 2014 and in 2015, Cooper disclosed that he had asked Scarlett for her hand in marriage in 2015 when he uploaded a photo collage of the ring on Instagram saying, To many more adventures with this lovely lady”. She also shared a sentiment with her followers: I was lucky enough to fall in love with my best friend. In 2017, Scarlett had posed for Playboy as well!
In November 2019, the pair married at a registrar’s office in Ventura, California.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows
Pansy only appears at the end when she supports Lord Voldemort’s urge to hand over Harry to the Death Eaters. Pansy screams that why doesn’t anyone hand over Harry as he is right there. However Pansy is scared almost to death as half the Hall stand up and draw their wands pointing them at her. She is ordered to go out of the school with Filch and the Slytherins. She possibly has a breakdown and is never seen again.
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Harry Potter Actors Who Were Recast
From minor characters like Angelina Johnson to Lord Voldemort himself, the Harry Potter films had quite a few roles that ended up being recast.
With an eight film franchise, there were bound to be a few recasts along the way in the Harry Potterseries. Since many of the films came out before the book series was finished, some Harry Potter actors were cast when little information was known about their roles and where they’d end up. Even if the character they were playing had a name, if they didn’t have any lines or weren’t featured, they were just considered background actors and were cast accordingly.
However, seeing as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first film in the franchise, made almost $1 billion worldwide, Warner Brothers had a lot riding on the continued success of the series. Many seemingly minor characters went on to play larger roles in the later books, and by extension, later films in the franchise. Some actors were replaced because they weren’t experienced or talented enough, while others simply became involved in other projects.
Whatever the reason, the films only got better after Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire when David Yates took over as director. Hopefully, with Yates at the helm of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise, there will be little need for as much actor turnover as its predecessor experienced .
Here are 15 Harry Potter Actors Who Were Recast.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
Pansy is made a Prefect with Draco and she, along with him, abuses her power, putting students in detention for no reason. Hermione, Pansy’s arch-rival, is quick to notice this. Pansy is also in the Inquisitorial Squad, an organization invented by Dolores Umbridge. Pansy finds Hermione’s register for the organization named Dumbledore’s Army, and Pansy’s evidence is vital in Harry’s criminal record. However, Professor Dumbledore takes the blame and vanishes from the school to protect Harry.
Later, Professor Dumbledore is back as Headmaster and Umbridge is sacked.
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Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Pansy presumably meets with Draco in Diagon Alley in the Summer. She later plays a much bigger role in the book by laughing with Draco and not listening to Hagrid’s warning about the dangerous Hippogriffs. Pansy is upset and shocked when Draco is hurt, and this is the moment she first falls for him. When Draco’s arm is slashed open when he insults the Hippogriff, Pansy rushes up to the hospital wing to comfort him, showing her affection. Pansy yells about Hagrid deserving eviction.
Pansy later comforts Draco in class, when he reappears in school. She asks him how his arm hurts and Professor Snape ignores them, favouring his own house students.
Richard Bremmer And Ralph Fiennes As Lord Voldemort
Last but not least, we can’t forget that even Lord Voldemort was recast at one point. When we first catch a glimpse of him, it’s on the back of Professor Quirrell’s head during Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. In this incarnation, he was played by Richard Bremmer, who had enjoyed a thirty-year career as a working actor . Much of his appearance was altered with CGI, except for his nose, which remained intact, a subject of contention among many fans. Lord Voldemort is described in the books as having red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake.
When Voldemort reemerges into a corporeal form during Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the role was passed on to Ralph Fiennes, best known for his starring role in the Oscar-winning film, The English Patient. Few people can think of Voldemort now without imagining Fiennes portrayal of the Dark Lord and the dramatic flair he brought to the character. Considering Voldemort’s importance in the story of Harry Potter, it’s safe to say that the filmmakers’ decision to fill the role with a more seasoned lead actor was the right one.
Were any other Harry Potter roles played by two different actors? Let us know in the comments.
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