Summary
- Actor Jamie Campbell Bower refused a stunt double while filming Harry Potter's Deathly Hallows to play young Grindelwald.
- HBO is boldly casting new actors for its upcoming Harry Potter TV show, including John Lithgow as Dumbledore.
- Stranger Things star Jamie Campbell Bower, who played Vecna, plans to distance himself from villain roles post-series.
Gaining a surge of popularity from portraying antagonist Vecna in Netflix’s Stranger Things, actor Jamie Campbell Bower recently reflected on his time in the Harry Potter universe, revisiting a role he refused a stunt double for. Bower played a young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter’ s seventh film, Deathly Hallows: Part 1, but the only time he’s in front of the camera is when his character steals the Elder Wand.
Since Bower’s time working on Harry Potter, the franchise has taken an exciting turn this year with new actors being eyed to portray beloved roles. HBO is well underway preparing for a new take on The Boy Who Lived’s story, confirming John Lithgow will be playing Dumbledore while Janet McTeer and Paapa Essiedu are still in talks to play Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. Even though the former Voldemort actor Hero Fiennes-Tiffin is open to returning in the Harry Potter reboot, the network seems against retreading old ground.
HBO's Bold Harry Potter Casting Proves The TV Show Will At Least Try To Be Unique
HBO is making bold casting choices for its Harry Potter TV show in a bid to become unique.
Stranger Things Star Jamie Campbell Bower Recalls Refusing a Stunt Double While Filming Harry Potter
During a Como Fan event in Italy (via E! Online), Bower recalled Deathly Hallows director David Yates’ offer of a stunt double while filming his only scene in the movie, which left the actor with a crushing realization. “‘David, if you have a stunt double, I’m not going to be in your film. So no, I don’t want a stunt double. I want to be in your film, God damn it,’” Bower reenacted, expressing his keenness to partake in the franchise 15 years ago. While the Elder Wand has a lengthy history in Harry Potter lore, Bower’s time with a third of the all-powerful Deathly Hallows was brief. However, the actor returned to play Grindelwald again in 2018’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, reuniting with his Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street co-star Johnny Depp to play a younger version of his central character.
"I remember in Deathly Hallows, the only time you see me is when I’m stealing the Elder Wand and jumping out of the window.”
Bower also revealed how his small role in Deathly Hallows came about, noting he got the gig simply by being friends with the cast and was asked if he wanted to take part. “I had a lot of friends on Harry Potter and I think one day somebody just was like, ‘Do you want to just like be in this film?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, all right. Sounds fun. Sounds cool,’” Bower explained and shared the warmth and kindness he experienced on set from other cast members. In particular, the actor singled out Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy, as “so welcoming so warm to me.” Bower’s upcoming role in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 3 was surely awarded after boasting his acting chops throughout Stranger Things and blockbusters The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones and the Twilight saga, but securing a place in the Harry Potter franchise through friendly connections was a lucky break to come by.
Following season 4’s nail-biting conclusion and after a three-year hiatus, fueled by the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Stranger Things fans anticipate the fifth and final season’s debut. While the actor is grateful for his time playing Vecna and his counterparts Henry Creel and One, Bower wants to distance himself from villains after Stranger Things. This doesn’t bode well for the 36-year-old potentially playing the Witch King in The Rings of Power, if theories are anything to go by, but fans of the Netflix series are expecting the actor’s swan song performance as Vecna to be as chilling as ever.
Stranger Things season 5 is set to premiere sometime in 2025.
Has The Harry Potter TV Show Found Its Professor McGonagall? Ozark Actress In Negotiations For The Role
The Harry Potter TV show cast has found its Professor Minerva McGonagall and another actor is closing a deal for a different high-profile role.
- Release Date
- November 17, 2010
- Runtime
- 146 minutes
- Director
- David Yates
- Writers
- Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling
- Producers
- David Barron, David Heyman, J.K. Rowling
Cast
-
Daniel RadcliffeHarry Potter -
Emma WatsonHermione Granger -
Rupert GrintRon Weasley -
Toby JonesDobby (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
- Prequel(s)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2
Source: E! Online