It seems as if no one is immune to Harry Potter fever. With a flick of her wand, J.K. Rowling captured the imagination of an entire generation, leaving a lasting mark in both the literature and film worlds.
One comedian in particular whom Rowling affected was none other than Robin Williams. It’s recently come to light that not only was Robin a serious Potter Head – he was vying for the role of Hagrid!
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For many of us, Robin Williams was the first comedian we were ever exposed to.
Robin was in his prime during the 1990s, appearing in one hit film after the other.
He made us laugh uncontrollably as The Genie in *Aladdin* when we were kids.
“Phenomenal cosmic power!”
I still maintain that Robin was the greatest voice actor who ever lived. He positively shone as The Genie.
He helped teach us the difference between knowledge and experience in *Good Will Hunting*.
“I bet you can’t tell me what it smells like inside the Sistine Chapel?”
This scene from Good Will Hunting gave me goosebumps.
And if you, like me, were a child of divorce, your parents probably made you watch *Mrs. Doubtfire* 50 times over.
I joke, but this movie actually did help to put things in perspective as a young kid.
But no matter what, I will always remember him as Armand Goldman in *The Birdcage*.
The Birdcage is arguably Robin’s most underrated/under-appreciated film.
It was released at a time when male homosexuality was still seen as taboo.
Recently, news has come to light that Robin had aspirations to be a part of the Potterverse.
That’s right – Robin was a Potter Head ! He lobbied hard to be included in the film.
Apparently, Robin had his eyes on one character in particular – Hagrid!
That’s right!
The Keeper of the Keys and everyone’s favorite Care of Magical Creatures teacher: Rubeus Hagrid!
Robin petitioned hard for the role but was inevitably turned away.
Can you imagine the gall it must have taken to refuse one of the greatest comedians/actors of all time?
The role ended up going to Robbie Coltrane.
Coltrane appeared in all of the Harry Potter films and was a fan favorite in the series. He looks a lot different minus the beard.
Coltrane did a perfectly fine job, but compared to Robin Williams?! Who’s to say?
The sheer range that Robin would have been able to bring to the role would have been staggering. Think of the ad-libbed humor we could have had!?
Sadly, we would never know. The consensus was that production was casting only “British born actors.”
Seriously? It’s called ‘acting’ people! Talk about being elitist.
To turn Robin away solely because he was born on the wrong side of the pond seems trivial.
Clearly, they never saw Robin’s stand up bit on the creation of golf.
If you haven’t seen Robin Williams: Live on Broadway , you’re missing out on one of the great standup routines of the 2000s.
The casting director did offer one silver lining to Robin at the time:
The casting director did say there could be hope for Robin in a sequel:
“Maybe one day. Say if [Harry] goes to Yale and becomes president.”
I for one would have loved to have seen an ‘Americanized’ version of Harry Potter.
Emma Stone as Hermione Granger.
Cameron Monaghan as Ron Weasley.
Ezra Miller as Harry Potter.
That’s not a half-bad starting 3 if I do say so myself.
Alas, what might have been. Suffice it to say, this could have been spellbinding.
Would you have liked to have seen Robin Williams cast in the role of Hagrid? Are you happy with what Robbie Coltrane brought to the part?
Leave a comment and let us know!
