Stars Who Nearly Joined the Harry Potter Cast — and What Stopped Them

Long before Eddie Redmayne carried a case full of magical beasts, he auditioned to play a very different wizard — Tom Riddle. “I properly failed,” he confessed in 2016, and didn’t even get a callback. Funny how he ended up the hero of a spin-off instead of the heir of Slytherin. That’s casting for you: part luck, part timing, and sometimes a whole lot of what if.

Redmayne isn’t alone. Tim Roth was offered the role of Severus Snape, but turned it down for Planet of the Apes. In hindsight, he admitted Alan Rickman was the better fit, though he added, “A seven-year gig would’ve been nice.”

Sir Ian McKellen could have played Dumbledore after Richard Harris passed. But when McKellen learned Harris didn’t think much of him as an actor, he declined out of principle. “I couldn’t take over from someone who didn’t approve of me,” he said. A rare moment where ego and ethics collided — and the role went to Michael Gambon.

So was Peter O’Toole, a pal of Harris’s. But he had health problems, too, and declined. Got it. The producers were loath to lose a second Dumbledore in the midst of a movie shoot.

Even J.K. Rowling was offered a role — Lily Potter in the Mirror of Erised scene. She declined, saying she would probably screw it up even though she had no lines. Her words, not ours.

Robin Williams wanted to play Hagrid. Chris Columbus, the director, confirmed that the call occurred, though Rowling had a strict British-only policy. If you told me Mrs. Doubtfire tried to get into Hogwarts, my 10-year-old head would have exploded.

Kate Winslet didn’t even get the memo. Her agent declined the role of Helena Ravenclaw before she saw the offer. Apparently, he thought she wouldn’t want to jump on the “every British actor in Harry Potter” bandwagon. Honestly, she might’ve taken it.

Same goes for Naomi Watts. She told MTV she would’ve loved to play Narcissa Malfoy — partly to impress her son — but an offer never came. The part went to Helen McCrory, who was brilliant.

Rosamund Pike was actually offered Rita Skeeter but turned it down over concerns about minimal screen time. She later admitted regretting it — not because of the role, but because she wanted to work with director Mike Newell again.

David Thewlis, who ended up as Lupin, originally auditioned for Professor Quirrell. Ian Hart beat him out. No hard feelings though — Thewlis had cast Hart in his own movie. Small world.

Hugh Grant said yes to Gilderoy Lockhart — then had to back out due to scheduling conflicts with Two Weeks Notice. He even dyed his hair blonde for it. Kenneth Branagh stepped in and made it his own.

Lastly, Liam Aiken — an American — almost played Harry. He had worked with Columbus before, but again, Rowling’s “British-only” rule nixed the idea.

Thirteen almosts. Thirteen different timelines. And one unshakable truth: the magic worked out just fine.