When the first Harry Potter movie was released in 2001, The Philosopher’s Stone, the majority of audiences were seeing the three central young stars for the first time, but the praises of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have been sung no end ever since. On the other hand, the supporting cast was made up of some legendary icons of the screen that needed no introduction.
The Harry Potter franchise is often regarded as one of the very best in terms of casting, a treatment it’s thoroughly earned. Maggie Smith as McGonagall, Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid, John Hurt as Ollivander, David Bradley as Filch, Alan Rickman as Snape, there are just so many perfect castings. However, picture this… Robin Williams in Harry Potter. Who would you have had him play?
The beloved American actor tragically passed away at the age of 63 in 2014, breaking the hearts of millions. He’s often cited as one of the greats of his craft, acclaimed for work in such movies as Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Good Morning Vietnam, and One Hour Photo.
He was a truly singular talent, which is why it may surprise you that he was vocal about his desire to star in the Harry Potter movies. It’s not surprising that he wished to star, it’s the fact that he wasn’t accepted to come aboard—not once, but twice.
The casting director of the series, Janet Hirshenson, confirmed during an interview with the Huffington Post that Robin wanted to play Hagrid, but there was a rule that only British actors would be considered for the parts:
“Robin had called because he really wanted to be in the movie, but it was a British-only edict, and once he said no to Robin, he wasn’t going to say yes to anybody else, that’s for sure. It couldn’t be.”
Robbie was cast, and although he’s phenomenal, it would’ve been fascinating to see what spin Robin would’ve put on the character.
Unfortunately, the very same British-only edict prevented him from playing the role of Remus Lupin too, beginning in Prisoner Of Azkaban. David Thewlis ultimately landed the role and, again, did a fantastic job of bringing J.K Rowling’s complex and mysterious professor to the screen.
The director of the first two movies and later producer, Chris Columbus, did admit to Insider years later that “Robin would have been brilliant” as Lupin, but also added that David “was great.”
The Harry Potter movies have seen no shortage of casting what-ifs in their history, with the likes of Saoirse Ronan (auditioned for Luna Lovegood) and Henry Cavill (auditioned for Cedric Diggory) missing out on becoming part of the phenomenon.
Despite not having Robin in Harry Potter, there are a wealth of incredible movies to choose from when it comes to honoring the actor. An unmatched presence.
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