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Last Updated: April 07, 2025, 16:55 IST
Robin Williams Initially Pursued Roles in Harry Potter Movies
J.K. Rowling’s vision for a British-centric cast in the Harry Potter films is well documented, and it ultimately impacted casting choices for several important roles. (Photo credits: Instagram)
The Harry Potter film series, with stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, has achieved remarkable popularity worldwide. While these lead actors became household names, the process of casting other characters also had notable instances. One such case involved the renowned actor Robin Williams, who expressed significant interest in joining the franchise but was ultimately overlooked. Williams initially sought to portray Hagrid, a role that ultimately went to Robbie Coltrane. He later expressed a desire to take on the character of Remus Lupin in “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” which was eventually given to David Thewlis. Unfortunately for Williams, J.K. Rowling had instated a strict policy barring American actors from the films.
Rowling aimed to maintain an authentic British representation in the films to preserve the essence of the narrative. Director Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two installments, was a close friend of Williams. Despite the actor’s enthusiasm, Columbus was bound by Rowling’s guidelines; still, he believed Williams could have brought a unique flavor to Lupin’s character.
In an interview with Business Insider in 2021, Columbus remarked, “Robin would have been brilliant. It would have been a different interpretation — I thought David Thewlis was great — but Robin would have been brilliant. When J.K. Rowling and I first met, we agreed that we wanted this cast to be 100% British. And I adhered to that policy.”
Columbus further emphasized the seriousness of this casting rule by sharing an anecdote about his daughter, Eleanor. She had a minor role as Susan Bones in the first movie. Despite her presence on set and involvement in scenes, she was denied dialogue due to the casting restrictions that limited speaking roles to British actors only.
During a 2001 interview with The New York Times, Robin Williams spoke about other characters he felt he could have played, humorously suggesting that had the story taken place in America — perhaps with Harry attending Yale or even running for president — he might have secured a role in the films.
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