“It did me no favors with…”: Despite His Massive Success, Tom Felton’s Evil Harry Potter Role Became The Biggest Thorn in his Path When It Came to One Thing
- Just as how people started seeing Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy became synonymous with Tom Felton
- Felton revealed that he was first being considered for the titular role of Potter or of Ron Weasley.
- While people did bucket him into one specific archetype, Felton was able to slowly change the mold and try out for theatre as well as more diverse roles.
There are some characters we hate from the bottom of our hearts just because of how evil they are. Then there are actors who portray those roles and in turn, get the same negativity from fans because they do a splendid job of bringing that character to life. One such villainous character is Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter franchise, played by Tom Felton.
Malfoy is a bully and a character worthy of the hate he receives since he made Harry Potter and his friends’ lives miserable. He came from a troubled family and the lack of love in his childhood is evident in all his actions. Moreover, playing the iconic character took a toll on Felton’s life too.
Tom Felton reveals how playing Draco Malfoy impacted his life
Everything was amazing for Tom Felton as soon as he received news that he would be playing Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movie. The actor was thrilled and who wouldn’t be? The part was that of a lifetime in one of the most loved books of all time. However, Felton never imagined how playing the evil wizard schoolboy in the movie would impact his ability to date and get girls to like him.
He did such an amazing job of portraying the nuances of the negative character that people forgot there was an actor behind it all, playing a role from a fictional universe. Just as how people started seeing Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy became synonymous with Felton. In an interview with The Guardian, Felton said,
Some people really struggle with the idea that I wasn’t this special, popular kid but I was walking around with dyed hair and played an evil wizard. It wasn’t cool. It did me no favors with the girls.
A nonchalant kid with dyed hair was no favorite among the girls, but as the movies progressed, his character also became more arrogant, leading to Felton feeling stifled in the dating department. Felton revealed that he was first being considered for the titular role of Potter or of Ron Weasley. However, the way he carried himself with confidence and a bit of arrogance eventually won over the crew and they found the perfect Malfoy in Felton.
Harry Potter was just another job for Tom Felton
When he went to audition for the movie, he saw children carrying the Harry Potter books and the love in their eyes for the story. On the other hand, Felton saw it as just another job since he had no idea what the franchise was about at the time. In some way, this helped him nail the role of Malfoy in the audition and subsequently win the role that would redefine his future years completely. He shared,
Anyone could try out for it, so many excited kids went along who loved the books deeply. I reckon I got the part because I was nonchalant and had no idea what anyone was on about. Wizards in cupboards under the stairs? And with three older brothers, you learn to be confident quickly. I think Chris Columbus, the director, recognised this slight disinterest and arrogance in me, which he thought could work for Malfoy.
So much happened in the 12 years Felton played Malfoy that his entire trajectory changed. While people did bucket him into one specific archetype, Felton was able to slowly change the mold and try out for theatre as well as more diverse roles. Not to mention, he made friends for life on the sets of Harry Potter despite playing the troublesome character in the story.
The Harry Potter movies are streaming on HBO Max.
