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Recasting Harry Potter
When I was tasked with recasting Harry Potter (thanks @kate.lyn.taylor from Instagram), I was intimidated. There are so many iconic characters. I just decided to not think of that and just think of what I know about the characters from the books and movies. The original movies casted all British actors. I didn’t worry about that. I assumed that everyone I casted could do a perfect British accent. What I really wanted was to go with the best actor for the role.
The only catch about this casting is that it is a casting for the final Harry Potter – The Deathly Hallows. I don’t know nearly enough child actors to find someone for the most important parts. So we’re assuming that these people have all been playing the role since a fake The Sorcerer’s Stone.
Let’s get to it!
Harry Potter: Timothée Chalamet – I first saw Chalamet as young Tom in Interstellar. Since then, he’s had roles in Lady Bird and Call Me by Your Name. There’s serious hype behind this guy and he seems up to being the leading role in something huge. He even has the perfect messy black hair to be Harry.
Ron Weasley: Lucas Hedges – Hedges also appears in Lady Bird, like Chalamet. His breakout role is from Manchester by the Sea where he plays a boy whose father has just died. He keeps a tough guy exterior, while it affects him a lot. He plays a similar, but much more innocent role in Lady Bird and I think he is the perfect Ron Weasley.
Hermione Granger: Hailee Steinfeld – Steinfeld is known as one of the more attractive up and coming young actresses in Hollywood. But she showed in Edge of Seventeen that she can play an awkward and mostly unattractive girl just trying to get through high school. That is faithful to the Hermione of the books.
Albus Dumbledore: Daniel Day-Lewis – This is where I shot high. Day-Lewis is a little young for Dumbledore, but that’s nothing some makeup can’t fix. I’d love to see the gentleness that he could bring to this role.
Severus Snape: Tom Hiddleston – Best known for being Loki in the Avengers movies, Hiddleston can definitely take on the gravitas of this role. He has a thinner build than Alan Rickman and I’d like to see him grow a goatee like Snape of the books. He’s even been able to channel Rickman. He’s perfect!
Professor McGonagall: Meryl Streep – Who is a better choice for this character than Meryl Streep? That’s right. No one.
Voldemort: Benedict Cumberbatch – Cumberbatch has shown that he has the ability to play a villain in Star Trek and if he talks in just the right way, he’s a menacing enough villain.
Lucius Malfoy: Michael Fassbender – Lucius Malfoy needs to be intimidating, but fragile. Intimidating is definitely true for Fassbender, as he’s played Magneto. But he’s also able to play a broken man, like Malfoy becomes, as he showed in X-Men: Apocalypse.
Narcissa Malfoy: Rachel McAdams – I needed someone who could seem menacing – McAdams’ character in the Sherlock Holmes movies – but who was actually a loyal and loving mother. McAdams has shown that she can do that.
Draco Malfoy: Joe Keery – I had a tough time finding my Draco. I’m not 100% confident in my pick, but I like what I saw from Keery in Stranger Things in being an arrogant bully. Then he becomes kind of good in season two, the way Draco does in this movie.
Bellatrix Lestrange: Marion Cotillard – Bellatrix is insane and evil. Cotillard played evil in The Dark Knight Rises and for sure played insane in this scene in Inception.
Neville Longbottom: Barry Keoghan – Neville is unattractive, but brave, loving, and endearing. That’s basically the character description of George, Keoghan’s character from Dunkirk. I think he’d make a great Neville.
Ginny Weasley: Sophie Turner – She’s shown in Game of Thrones that she can be feminine, but also feisty and downright threatening. But it’s because of her loyalty, and that’s a defining trait of Ginny.
Bill Weasley: Hayden Christensen – I think it’s time we show the world there’s more to this guy than saying impossible lines. He’s a good actor and did his best with what he got in Star Wars. Let’s give him a chance.
Fleur Delacour: Emma Stone – As Bill’s wife, Stone could portray the small part that Fleur has in this story.
Fred and George Weasley: Ezra Miller – In this case, Miller would be playing both of the twins… until we get to the end. But he’s shown the charming but mischievous attitude in Perks of Being a Wallflower and a real life love for Harry Potter.
Luna Lovegood: Maisie Williams – I can easily see Williams just getting spaced out the way that Luna does when she’s looking for Nargles.
Kingsley Shacklebolt: Idris Elba – Similar to playing Heimdall, this would be a role where Elba could kick butt, but not have to take up too much of his own time. And who wouldn’t want this guy as the eventual Minister for Magic?
Remus Lupin: Tom Hardy – Lupin is grizzled and tough, the way Hardy is in The Revenant, but he’s also gentle and loving, the way he is in Locke. It’s a perfect combination and one of my favorite casting choices I made.
Nymphadora Tonks: Margot Robbie – She showed in Suicide Squad that she can be crazy, but lovable. Just tune down the craziness and you have yourself a perfect Tonks.
Molly Weasley: Kate Winslet – This was another difficult choice for me. I think at this point in her career, Winslet can definitely play the motherly figure, even if she doesn’t have the plumpness of Molly Weasley.
Arthur Weasley: James McAvoy – Arthur needs a sort of constant amazement, but also a serious toughness. The amazement is shown in learning how to shake hands and the toughness in being Professor X.
Hagrid: Vincent D’Onofrio – I loved what I saw from D’Onofrio in Daredevil. He’s shown the sort of gentleness that’s needed for Hagrid that I think he could pull it off.
Sirius Black: Viggo Mortensen – Aragorn and Sirius are similar in some ways. I know he’s old, but Sirius is supposed to be weathered because of everything he’s endured in his life. Mortensen would knock it out of the park.
James Potter: Harry Styles – Hear me out. In the books, James and Lily die when they’re only 21 – not middle aged. Styles is sort of the heartthrob rascal that James is and is about the right age. After Dunkirk, I want to see what he’d do with his short amount of screen time.
Lily Potter: Saoirse Ronan – Just based on The Lovely Bones and Lady Bird, I think Ronan has the kind of loving spirit in her that is needed for Lily Potter.
Peter Pettigrew: Zach Galifianakis – I went for the fun angle with this one. I think Galifianakis could easily play the cowering and pathetic Wormtail.
Fenrir Greyback: Hugh Jackman – Yes, this is only based on Wolverine. But just imagine Jackman running around like this at the Battle of Hogwarts.
Argus Filch: Harrison Ford – In a small role, Ford could just play himself – grumpy at the world.
Vernon Dursley: Eric Stonestreet – Imagine if Cam from Modern Family grew a mustache and was terrible to his nephew. Then you’d have Vernon Dursley.
Petunia Dursley: Maggie Gyllenhaal – I strongly dislike this character and based on Gyllenhaal being terrible in The Dark Knight, I think she would make it very easy to dislike her.
Dudley Dursley: Ben Hawkey – I know him from playing Hot Pie on Game of Thrones. I think he could be a good Dudley based on looks alone.
Dobby: Andy Serkis – If there is a motion capture role, you give it to Andy Serkis. I don’t make the rules. I just follow them.