Richard Harris’ Humiliating Comment Helped Michael Gambon Land Dumbledore Despite Not Being Studio’s First Choice
Michael Gambon had a career spanning more than six decades and was most known for his portrayal of the beloved Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the book-to-screen adaptation of J. K. Rowling’s novel series of the same name. Unfortunately, the actor passed away on September 28, at the age of 82.
Michael Gambon enchanted millions of people with his performance as Dumbledore but he was not the first person to have been chosen for the role. Late actor Richard Harris was the actor who was initially cast as the wizard. However, it might not be common knowledge that Ian McKellen was the potential choice for the role before Gambon took over.
Read More: Harry Potter: 5 Reasons We Love Harris’ Dumbledore, And 5 Why It’s Gambon
Michael Gambon Almost Lost His Harry Potter Role
The Harry Potter film series is the fourth-highest-grossing film series of all time and has an entire fandom known as Potterheads. Things were going pretty smoothly with the first two movies attaining success at the box office until Richard Harris, the actor portraying Albus Dumbledore passed away in late 2002 due to Hodgkin’s disease.
British actor Ian McKellen, known for his incredible acting skills, was considered the perfect fit for the role of the headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The X-Men star, however, declined the role, and he explained his reasoning for doing so saying that Richard Harris disliked him so it would be disrespectful to take over a role played by the late actor.
According to Slate, in addition to Richard Harris labeling Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi, and Kenneth Branagh as “Technically brilliant, but passionless,” he also said:
“I’ve seen these so-called ‘nice’ actors. Very able fellows like Ian McKellen and Kenneth Branagh. But they’re like bank managers. So sweet and careful. Who needs them?”
While it is not uncommon for people of the same profession to get into fights about who is better, neither of the parties has ever benefitted from such feuds which often end up proving to be an advantage for a third person. In this case, Michael Gambon benefitted from the feud.
Ian McKellen Had No Hard Feelings For Michael Gambon
Ian McKellen was obviously affected by Richard Harris’ comments about his acting skills. This is what led him to decline the role of Albus Dumbledore. In a 2017 interview with BBC’s HARDtalk, he said:
“When they called me up and said would I be interested in being in the Harry Potter films, they didn’t say in what part. I worked out what they were thinking, and I couldn’t … I couldn’t take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me.”
Despite missing out on a role in a major franchise, McKellen did not seem to be too bothered as he told the interviewer on BBC’s HARDtalk:
“Well, sometimes when I see the posters of Mike Gambon, the actor who gloriously plays Dumbledore, I think sometimes it is me.”
Ian McKellen had already played the role of a different white-bearded wizard when he was offered the role. He had starred as Gandalf the Grey in The Lord of the Rings trilogy so maybe he was not too worried about losing the role.
Source: Slate, BBC’s HARDtalk
