The $9.5B Harry Potter franchise turned several actors into legends for their incredible performance and commitment. And one such actor is Ralph Fiennes who played the role of the Dark Lord, Voldemort. But while the actor did a phenomenal job, he wasn’t the only one who was after the role of the legendary dark wizard.
Apparently, Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson as well as his Johnny English co-star John Malkovich wished for a super serious role in the Harry Potter franchise. Although Ralph Fiennes turned out to be the perfect choice for the character, the producers of the franchise initially went through Atkinson and Malkovich.
Rowan Atkinson And John Malkovich Wanted To Play Voldemort
Although the role of the dark wizard Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter film series turned Ralph Fiennes into one of the most legendary actors of the era, he could have almost lost his $9.5B opportunity to two comedy actors. Apparently, before Fiennes, Rowan Atkinson and his Johnny English co-star John Malkovich were sought for the legendary role.
Willing to put an end to his Mr. Bean role, Atkinson initially came up with his notable James Bond spoof character Johnny English featuring John Malkovich. But eventually, after two sequels, Rowan Atkinson expressed his desire to land a serious role. And what better than the character of Lord Voldemort as a British actor, in the Harry Potter franchise?
Surprisingly, along with Rowan Atkinson, even John Malkovich expressed his interest in the role. And even he was auditioned to play the character of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. But, unfortunately, in the end, neither of the two Johnny English actors made their way into the billion-dollar franchise.
Ralph Fiennes Ended Up Bagging The Role Of Voldemort
After going through myriads of auditions for the character of Lord Voldemort, the producers finally found the best actor who previously excelled in a villainous role, in Schindler’s List. Well, it was none other than Ralph Fiennes, who eventually landed the titular character of the Dark Lord. But surprisingly, Fiennes wasn’t initially aware of the gold he found.
Admitted to having never read any Harry Potter books at the time of his audition, Ralph Fiennes stated he wasn’t quite familiar with the character or the franchise. During an interview with GQ, the actor mentioned his initial thoughts after he was offered the role.
“I wasn’t that aware when it was first proposed to me… I hadn’t invested time in reading the books. I knew there was a Harry Potter huge thing happening but I hadn’t seen the earlier film so I had no sense.”
Fortunately, despite having no idea of his character’s potential, Ralph Fiennes accepted the role after his sister, director Martha Fiennes convinced him to say yes. According to Fiennes, his sister said, “What? You’re being asked to play Voldemort?! You’ve got to do it”. And that’s how we ended up having the most vile yet appreciated villain of the Wizarding World.
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Source: GQ, ScreenRant
