It has recently come to light that author J.K. Rowling established a key rule that movie companies had to abide by if they wanted to work with her on the Harry Potter films.
However, there were two actors that managed to slip through the cracks.
But first lets go back to where it all began. What started out as a mere musing while stuck on a delayed train in London, 1990, led to a young Joanne Rowling conjuring up the magical story of Harry Potter.
Thirty years since it’s creation, over 500 million copies of the book franchise have been sold worldwide in eighty different languages, making it one of the best-selling book series of all time.
The adventures of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger were quick to capture a vast and loyal fanbase, with children and adults alike being instantly captivated by the novel.
So, of course, it didn’t take long for the movie adaptations to come along, bringing Rowling’s words and imagination to life by transforming them into a series of blockbuster movies.
The wizardry and witchcraft mania that was induced by the books was only exaggerated after the release of the on-screen adaptations which, collectively, grossed around $6.5 billion in total.
Despite her popularity, in recent years, many have deemed Rowling to be extremely problematic.
As some may already be aware, the author was accused of being transphobic by dozens of fans back in June 2020, after she posted a string of divisive tweets criticising a headline about “those who menstruate.”
She wrote at the time: “‘People who menstruate.’ I’m sure there used to be a word for those people. Someone help me out. Wumben? Wimpund? Woomud?” referring to a post she shared.
And it only got worse from there, she went on to say: “If s*x isn’t real, there’s no same-s*x attraction. If s*x isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of s*x removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth.”
And many said that she had now ruined Harry Potter for them.
Since then, lots more has come out about J.K. Rowling, and her rule that the Harry Potter cast had to be “100% British” has recently surfaced.
Rowling requested that every actor cast in the films had to be “100% British,” according to Chris Columbus, the director of the first and second Harry Potter films.
Since it was so tightly adhered to, the director had to say no when Robin Williams called and asked if he might portray Hagrid in Harry Potter.
Robbie Coltrane was cast in the part instead, and according to Columbus, Williams also expressed interest in playing Remus Lupin, the third-year Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, but was again declined and the role was given to David Thewlis.
Naturally, there were a lot of non-British performers in the Harry Potter films because a sizable portion of the ensemble was Irish, including both Richard Harris and Michael Gambon who played Dumbledore.
There were 2 other actors that made it into the films who didn’t fit into Rowlings strict tick box, one being Chris Columbus’ daughter, Eleanor, who appeared briefly as Susan Bones in the first film. And then there was American actor Verne Troyer, who played Griphook, the Gringotts Bank goblin, although he was voiced by Warwick Davis.
What do you make of the strict rule?
