Looking Back on the Casting of ‘Harry Potter’

Jan 07, 2017

Posted by: Ashley Kurtz

Books, Columbus, Crew Interviews, Filmmaker Interviews, Films, Grint, Harry Potter and the Philosophers / Sorcerers Stone, Heyman, HP Cast, J.K. Rowling, Movies, News, Radcliffe, Watson

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the release of the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone book – and, if you’re like me, it makes you feel older than Nicholas Flamel. To reminisce, we’re using our pensieves to look back to when the film was first released in 2001. There was a lot of time invested in finding the perfect cast for the film and some very difficult decisions went in to choosing the actors who would forever hold a place in our hearts.

Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint.

Huffington Post talked to the casting director, Janet Hirshenson, about the decisions that went in to selecting the right actors and the obstacles that came with them.

One of the requirements for the cast was that they all had to be British actors – eliminating actors such as Robin Williams, who asked director Chris Columbus if he could take on the role.

Out of all of the roles, Hirshenson thought the casting of Harry was the most difficult.

“It was really specific on ages because there were several movies hopefully, so we could not go for a small 13-year-old to play anybody. They had to be at least the proper age of the character.”

Daniel Radcliffe was Columbus’s first choice, however, he had actually lost interest by this time and had taken himself out of the running. Luckily, he was convinced to return, though semi-reluctant, for another audition. They continued to look at a few other actors, but kept coming back to Daniel.

“We went back and looked at Daniel again. The other kid was terrific and very vulnerable and very Harry-looking, but besides that, Harry was going to become a very powerful kid, too. And Daniel had both sides. He was very vulnerable, but the other kid ? it was like, he [was] not going to have the balls that Daniel has, to put it that way.”

Casting Hermione Granger was not nearly as challenging. After Emma Watson’s audition, she was the obvious choice.

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“The character needed to be towards the annoying side at times, but not too annoying, so the other one we said, after a while she’s going to be annoying. But with Emma, after a while you’re going to love her all the more.”

Apparently, she even acted like Hermione when she wasn’t in auditions. This was most apparent when her and Daniel discussed the Harry Potter books.

“Emma asked Daniel if he liked the books and he said, ‘Yeah, I like WWF better, and she did a harumph or some Hermione thing that was so perfect, just as herself. ‘[Gasp] WWF!’ And we just all were like, ‘Whoa, this is them.'”

Choosing who to play Ron was even easier for the crew.

“We said, ‘Look at that face on Rupert … That’s Ron. Look at that face,’”

With everyone cast, it started a journey that we all got to enjoy from beginning to end. It would not have been the same had the actors we know and love not been the ones to bring the beloved characters from book to screen.

 

 

 

 

 





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.