Film franchises may come and go, but a franchise like Harry Potter comes once in a lifetime. The journey into their magical world brings back so many memories and taught us the most important lesson of life – friends can get you through any obstacle!
The films beautifully captured the magical moments from the get-go with a soundtrack that will forever own our hearts. Once we entered the majestic Hogwarts, there was no coming back.
But while we reminisce about the mystical memories of Harry Potter discovering his newfound abilities and saving the day with his friends, we also ought to remember that the most formidable Headmaster Dumbledore had a huge impact on the story.
The character was played by the likes of Richard Harris and taken over by Michael Gambon. Both actors hit the home run with their performances, but after the sudden demise of Harris, the role of Hogwarts’ ultimate guardian went on to another incredibly talented actor who wasn’t Gambon initially.
The Marvel Actor Who Was Approached For The Harry Potter Role
To showcase a character whose experience in wizardry was second to none and who had been running the most sought-after wizarding school in the franchise, they needed an actor who has spent years mastering his craft.
Just around the same time back in 2001 when the first in the franchise Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was released, we witnessed another magical adventure that changed the course of fantasy films forever.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring went toe to toe with Harry Potter. The former also had a senior and formidable character Gandalf portrayed masterfully by Sir Ian McKellen. Before Gandalf, he delivered an outstanding performance as Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) in Marvel’s X-Men (2000)
Prior to Gambon, McKellen was approached as he could have delivered a very similar performance. But in an interview with BBC, the latter told how Harris didn’t appreciate his skill.
Sir Ian McKellen Lacked Passion For Playing Dumbledore
Even after the massive success and recognition Sir McKellen received, it appears that things on the other side of the fence were much different than he thought.
Playing a character like Dumbledore required a sense of grit and passion, which according to Harris, McKellen lacked. He was quite critical of his performance as Gandalf and said that his work was “technically brilliant, but passionless.”
Sir McKellen however being a very senior arthouse artist in the industry maintained a level of professionalism that was very rare.
“When they called me up asking if I’d be interested in being in the Harry Potter films, they wouldn’t say what part. I figured it out. I couldn’t take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me.”
Although he rubbished Harris’ opinion of him, saying it was nonsense, he didn’t shy away from a friendly banter.
Back in April, HBO announced a reboot of the Harry Potter franchise with an official teaser trailer for the young generation to hop on for the future. The series with an initial plan of spanning over 10 years will tell the story of each book with each season.
We can expect it to be even more massive than Game of Thrones as HBO would most likely go all out with this one. Expect it to release sometime in 2025-2026.
Source: LAD Bible
