Almost a wizard! Why James McAvoy refused 'Harry Potter' role
What's the story
James McAvoy, the 45-year-old Hollywood actor, revealed that he turned down a lucrative offer to star in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone early in his career. The revelation came during a promotional event for his new movie Speak No Evil. McAvoy stated on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that he "was nearly in" the Harry Potter film but chose to seek more consistent work as a young actor instead.
Audition details
McAvoy recalls audition for 'Harry Potter' role
McAvoy shared that he had auditioned for a role in the first Harry Potter movie. He recalled, "The very first movie, I think it was — who is the — is it Tom Riddle in the first one, yeah? But he's like in it... for like a scene in a flashback or something like that?" The actor remembered this opportunity as being at the beginning of his career.
Contract details
McAvoy discusses retainer offer for Harry Potter role
The actor explained that the producers wanted to put him on a retainer. "I auditioned for it and I think they wanted to put me on a retainer," McAvoy said. "I think maybe [there were] 10 other actors or something like that - they wanted to put us on retainer so that they could hold us and keep us to choose later."
Career advice
McAvoy's agent advised against the contract
"It was a ton of money it was like £40,000 (over ₹44 lakhs) or something like that and I'd done very little work." McAvoy revealed that the contract would have prevented him from working for about seven months. His agent, Ruth Young, advised him against accepting the offer. "And she was like we're going to go do something else." Instead of taking the Harry Potter role, he chose to perform in a play where he earned £275 a week.
Future plans
McAvoy uninterested in future 'Harry Potter' role
When asked by podcast host Josh Horowitz if he would consider auditioning for the lead role in the upcoming HBO adaptation of Harry Potter, McAvoy did not express interest. "I don't know if there's anything that I'm really missing in terms of what I've covered," he said. The actor mentioned his love for sci-fi, citing his roles in 2003's Children of Dune and the X-Men movies as examples.