Tom Felton, who plays the villainous Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, was jealous of the relationship between his co-stars. Felton starred as the Harry Potter character over the course of a decade, appearing in each of the 8 fantasy movies.
His character started off as a foil to Harry Potter, himself played by Daniel Radcliffe, acting as his rival and nemesis throughout their shared time at Hogwarts. His role in the movies picked up increased importance in the sixth movie especially, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince, where he played a pivotal role in allowing the Deatheaters into Hogwarts, and the subsequent death of Dumbledore.
However, the character wasn’t all bad. He was unable to kill Dumbledore himself out of guilt, and he had a minor redemption arc as the movies came to their conclusion. Felton himself shared a sweet platonic relationship with co-star Emma Watson, and despite their on-screen shared hatred, they were good friends in real life.
Now, ahead of the release of Felton’s upcoming memoir, which is titled Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard, the actor has shared that he was jealous of the on-set relationship of some of his co-stars. Insider has shared an extract from the book which details these feelings.
Writing in his memoir, Felton says, “Just as Sirius became a father figure to Harry, I had the sense that Gary became something of an inspiration for Daniel, helping him to navigate the tricky path of growing up in the spotlight as well as hone his acting skills.” He continues, “They seemed to me to share a very similar sense of humour and approach to the other cast and crew. I think some of us — myself included — were a bit jealous of that bond.”
Felton then expanded on the impact that had on Radcliffe, saying, “We could see that, in part thanks to Gary’s influence, Dan was really starting to learn the craft better than any of us. Who better to have on your side in that respect than Gary Oldman?”
Of course, Felton’s jealousy of the relationship between Oldman and Radcliffe is completely understandable. Oldman is one of the greatest actors of all time, and his tutelage will have had a significant and lasting impact on Radcliffe. And, it’s fair to say that Radcliffe’s Hollywood career has continued to be a success long after his time in the fantastical kids movies has concluded. However, Felton does seem reconciled to the fact, and perhaps unlike Malfoy, was clearly able to recognise and deal with his own jealous emotions.
For more Harry Potter fun, check out our guide to the most infuriating Harry Potter plot holes, or take a look at the Harry Potter cast.