So Much Has Changed For the Cast of Harry Potter
As a worldwide phenomenon (the box office returns of the entire franchise is 7.7 billion), the Harry Potter series catapulted its stars to international fame, especially Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the titular wizard.
As said in the ‘Sorcerer’s Stone,’ there won’t be a child who won’t know his name, and this is right, almost everyone, including adults, know Radcliffe and his co-stars.
Now, it’s been a decade since the last film of the franchise premiered, and the cast went on to different stages of their career. How about we dive into the Pensieve and see what they were and what they are up to now?
Evanna Lynch
We’re starting a little kooky right off the bat. Introduced in the fifth film of the franchise, Luna Lovegood was played by Evanna Lynch who perfectly captured the odd but sensible qualities of the wide-eyed young witch.
Lynch was a big Harry Potter fan (and she still is) when she auditioned and was chosen for the role of Luna. But before that, she’s already exchanging letters with J.K. Rowling herself. How cool is that? Lynch was sending Rowling fan mails which the author is responding to.
Today, Evanna attributes her triumph from eating disorders and being cast in the franchise to Rowling’s help. She still acts, her most recent lead role is in the movie ‘My Name Is Emily’.
Harry Melling
Remember Harry’s squawky cousin Dudley? Yes, he’s played by a guy who’s also named Harry. Before being cast in Harry Potter, Harry Melling used to perform in stage productions.
Today, he is known by many as Harry’s nasty relative, but many were surprised when they realize that he’s the actor in some recent films!
You might not recognize him quickly but Melling has appeared in Netflix productions such as ‘The Devil All The Time’, ‘The Old Guard’, and ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ in which he all played villainous roles akin to his character as a child.
Well, they say the greatest actors are the opposite of who they’ve played so we trust Melling is as nice and decent as The Boy Who Lived.
Alan Rickman
Who will forget Professor Snape? The prowling bat-like teacher is a constant objection to Harry Potter and his friends, until the very end. Snape was played by acclaimed British actor Alan Rickman who appeared in several remarkable roles before and after landing the role of Snape.
He is also known as Hans Gruber in ‘Die Hard’, as the Sheriff of Nottingham in ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’, and as Judge Turpin in ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’.
Sadly, Rickman passed away due to pancreatic cancer in 2016, five years since the premiere of the final Harry Potter film. His final role is Absolem in ‘Alice Through the Looking Glass’.
Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith played the no-holds-barred professor Minerva McGonagall who should be credited for making Hogwarts stable. Appearing in 7 films out of 8, Smith ardently exhibited the prowess of McGonagall and delivered some of the most iconic lines in the franchise.
Her character is one of the few who stood up against Dolores Umbridge and made quite a mark due to her performance. Today, Smith continues to show off her badass acting skills, most recently as the Dowager Countess of Grantham, Violet Crawley in ‘Downton Abbey’.
Did you know that Smith had been diagnosed with two illnesses in her lifetime, one is Graves’ disease and the other is breast cancer, both of which she survived. She is, indeed, as tough as nails her Harry Potter character.