Emma Watson is well-known for being every bit as well-read and geeky as her Harry Potter counterpart, Hermione Granger. And Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood, was a Harry Potter super-fan before landing the role of the dreamy young witch. However, Tom Felton who played villain Draco Malfoy, says he landed the role for the exact opposite reason – he didn’t know or care about Harry Potter.
Felton is currently getting ready to make his West End debut in his first play and he spoke to The Guardian about auditioning to play Malfoy. Warner Bros held open casting calls for Harry Potter, meaning that they were inundated by super-fans of the book series, whether they’d ever acted a day in their lives before, or not. Felton was one of the most experienced of the child actors to audition, and he just viewed it as another job.
“I was also one of the only ones who had no idea what Harry Potter was at the time. Anyone could try out for it, so many excited kids went along who loved the books deeply. I reckon I got the part because I was nonchalant and had no idea what anyone was on about. Wizards in cupboards under the stairs?” Felton says.
“With three older brothers, you learn to be confident quickly. I think Chris Columbus, the director, recognised this slight disinterest and arrogance in me, which he thought could work for Malfoy. I didn’t have to do ten pages of dialogue to audition. All I did was turn up as a snotty kid who looked right and I got the part.”
Felton also discusses Jason Isaacs, who played Draco’s father Lucius Malfoy, in the interview. He says; “It was a massively important relationship to me. He never talked to me like a kid, and showed me the way. Jason was a driving force in getting rid of my impostor syndrome. He told me to snap out of it. That I was good, but could be much better. To go and work on it.”
See whether you agree with our rankings of the best Harry Potter characters and the best Harry Potter villains.