Robin Williams Wanted To Play Two Roles In The Harry Potter Movies But Was Rejected For Both
It’s hard to believe that the first Harry Potter film was released 20 years ago. The cast, which included Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Tom Felton, went on to star in a string of popular films. However, if there hadn’t been a rule, a few cast members would have looked very different from the ones we love. Robin Williams apparently wanted to be a part of the magical team but was turned down not once, but twice.
While we can’t image anyone other than Robbie Coltrane playing Hagrid, Williams is said to have sought director Chris Columbus about the role before Coltrane was cast. The iconic comedian reached out to Columbus “because he truly wanted to be in the movie,” casting director Janet Hirshenson told the Huffington Post in 2016. However, even for the great Robin Williams, there was one issue that could not be missed.
So it is OK to ban certain actors from certain roles based on their nationality? #HarrietTubman
Robin Williams rejected for Harry Potter role thanks to 'British-only' rule https://t.co/SrXgJA9wgo
— 7th Generation American – Here BEFORE the U.S. (@MACVpark69) January 4, 2019
“Robin had called because he really wanted to be in the movie, but it was a British-only edict, and he wasn’t going to give yes to anyone else after saying no to Robin. It’s not possible, “she observed Williams did not make the cut for the role of beloved half-giant and Hogwarts groundskeeper because the film’s producers intended the cast to include only Irish and British performers. But seeing his take on it would have been incredible.
Williams said in an interview with the New York Post that he was passed up for a role in the Harry Potter films. He commented at the time, “There were a handful of parts I would have liked to play, but there was a ban on [using] American performers.”
Columbus just reported that Williams did not back down after the first rejection, following Hirshenson’s statement. He was more interested in playing Remus Lupin, a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who was introduced in the third book and third film. With the “British cast only” condition remaining in force, David Thewlis was eventually cast in the part.
“I spoke with Robin Williams, who expressed interest in playing Lupin. ‘It’s all British’ was a difficult statement for me to make. I’m powerless to help,’ “recalled Columbus during a Total Film interview in October of last year. During an interview with Insider a month later, he said, “Robin would’ve been fantastic. It would have been a different take – David Thewlis was fantastic — but Robin would have been fantastic.”
Source: businessinsider.com