The Harry Potter films were perfectly cast. But it’s still fun to look at what might’ve been, especially when it comes to actors who decided to pass on the chance to participate in such a huge blockbuster. Here are some actors who decided that appearing in the wizarding franchise just wasn’t for them.
Ian McKellen is a legendary actor. So it makes sense that his name came up to replace Richard Harris as Dumbledore in the wake of Harris’ tragic death following the second film. However, McKellen turned down the role because he thought it would have been inappropriate. As he explained,
“People say to me, ‘Don’t you wish you’d played Dumbledore?’ “I say, ‘No! I played Gandalf! The original.’ There was a question as to whether I might take over from Richard Harris but seeing as one of the last things he did publicly was say what a dreadful actor he thought I was, it would not have been appropriate for me to take over his part. It would have been unfair.”
Although Michael Gambon eventually took over the role for the rest of the series, McKellen still gets confused for the character. He told the Telegraph in 2013,
“The other day there were 100 people outside the theatre who wanted autographs. Just as I did the last one, a woman grasped my hand and said, ‘It’s so wonderful to meet Dumbledore in person.’ I blew her a kiss and got into my car.”
Watch the video to see more actors who turned down huge roles in Harry Potter!
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Ian McKellen | 0:16
Tilda Swinton | 1:14
Hugh Grant | 2:00
Tim Roth | 2:32
Helen McCrory | 3:32
J.K. Rowling | 4:14