There are popular franchises and then there’s Harry Potter. The book to screen adaptation continue to be wildly popular, with fans re-watching the eight movies with their Max subscription. Actor Jason Isaacs famously played the villainous Lucius Malfoy through the Harry Potter movies, and recently shared why he was nervous when stepping onto the set.
The Harry Potter cast is part of film history forever, with Jason Isaacs being one of the adult actors who brought J.K. Rowling‘s story to life. While the young cast has spoke about their nerves on the movie, it turns out that the White Lotus star also had his own concerns. In a talkback for Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (via People), Isaacs got honest by sharing:
The most nerve-racking is that all of the actors in the films were my heroes. They’re people I queued up in the rain to watch on stage, mostly.
Points were made. While the kids of the Harry Potter franchise were unknowns upon being cast, the adults were all wildly accomplished English actors. That includes the likes of Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, and more.
Jason Isaacs said his job was to show why Draco Malfoy was such a jerk, but he played his father Lucius in five out of the eight Harry Potter films. In the same appearance, the star of The OA (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) went on to share that he was nervous about working with late Dumbledore actor Richard Harris. In his words:
My very first day proper day was with the late great Richard Harris, who played Dumbledore in the first two films. I went to drama school with his son, Jared Harris, and the days when Richard Harris came to watch us at drama school were days you wore four pairs of underpants. To be standing opposite [Harris] was incredible. Cut to many years later … when we shot the courtyard scene with everybody, the big battle at the end, I looked around and there were just Oscar winners everywhere. The thrill never wore off.
Talk about daunting. While Isaacs is a talented actor, seeing his heroes on the set of the Harry Potter films was understandably nerve-wracking. While young actors might say the same about him nowadays, the 61 year-old star of the screen shared more about what it was like filming in Hogwarts and beyond. In his words:
Every day when you go to work on a film set, you get a piece of paper, it’s called a call sheet. It’s got everybody’s name on it and what scenes they’re doing that day. And I still, by the end of it, couldn’t believe that my name was on the list with all of those actors because they’re still my acting heroes.
Being an actor is a tricky thing, as the right project can see you paired with your heroes. While there were nerves involved, Isaacs was able to give a truly iconic performance as the patriarch of the Malfoy family. And however take that role next will have some big shoes to fill.
With the Harry Potter TV show developing, a new actor should be taking on the role of Lucius Malfoy. It should be fascinating to see who gets the role, and if they have similar nerve issues on set. Only time will tell.
