Every Character Recast in Harry Potter

With the franchise to be soon rebooted through a series with an all-new cast, fans of Harry Potter are buzzing again over who all the new actors will be. The movie franchise is now iconic and certainly never held back as it cast the who’s who of British actors in various roles. Most of those roles went on to be legendary since who could imagine anyone but Gary Oldman playing Sirius Black or Alan Rickman playing Snape?

However, as legendary as many of those roles became by the sterling actors who defined them, plenty of other parts were recast as the films went on. Some were less noticeable, while others pertained to major characters whose casting choices became the subject of endless debates among fans. Some were out of necessity, while others were purely to ensure major roles could be filled by actors with the kind of gravitas it demanded. As Potter fanatics eagerly wait for the new show, here’s a look back at every role recast in the Harry Potter films.

15 Albus Dumbledore — Richard Harris Replaced by Michael Gambon

It forever remains the most striking recasting that happened and the most tragic, too. For fans of Albus Dumbledore, Richard Harris initially seemed to be an ideal choice to play him. After all, as a Thespian and a legendary actor, he certainly had all the credentials necessary for a role of that grandeur. Sadly, though, Harris was 72 years old by the time Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was released, and he had grown gravely ill with Hodgekin’s Disease by then.

He Was Replaced by Another Fine Actor

Despite his terrible loss, his replacement was Michael Gambon, another brilliant actor. The two had very different styles in which they portrayed Dumbledore. However, both did a great job and carved out their own loyal fan bases for the role. To this day, most Potter fans can never decide who was better. While Harris only played the character for the first two films, Gambon continued from the third to the eighth film, sadly also passing away in 2023. Each brought unique and distinctive attributes to the role. So, instead of arguing over who was better, most fans are grateful that the character was played by two fantastic actors.

14 Griphook — Verne Troyer Replaced by Warwick Davis

The original Griphook made a memorable appearance in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Even though the cast was almost entirely British, the goblin was played by American actor Verne Troyer (Mini-Me from the Austin Powers films). Troyer sadly also passed away and reputedly struggled a lot with alcoholism and depression. However, Warwick Davis, known for playing Hogwarts’ Charms Teacher, Professor Flitwick, throughout the films voiced Griphook for that appearance so that the character could sound more authentic.

Davis Ended up Playing Dual Roles in the Franchise

Given how well he did with the speaking part and how he nailed down the role of Flitwick when the role of Griphook came to prominence again in the last two films, Warwick Davis was handed the role entirely. With some of the most memorable scenes from those films, it’s safe to say he did a great job as the crafty former Gringotts employee.

13 Tom the Innkeeper — Derek Deadman Replaced by Jim Tavaré

A pretty noticeable replacement came for the character of Tom the Innkeeper. In the first film, Tom, played by Derek Deadman, came across as much more affable and kind. Sadly, the actor never kept up with many roles after that, and his health began to suffer. By 2014, he had sadly passed away from complications related to diabetes.

It Was a Startling Change from the First Portrayal

We next saw the character in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Alfonso Cuarón took over directing from Chris Columbus. That film had a decidedly darker edge to it, and Jim Tavaré took over the role of Tom. This time, he was far more creepy and gave off an Igor/Renfield monster vibe, even sporting a hump and seeming very much like he’d fit in well as Dracula’s assistant.

12 The Fat Lady — Elizabeth Spriggs Was Replaced by Dawn French

A memorable character from the books, despite only having small parts in them, The Fat Lady was the woman who lived in the portrait that hung at the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room and was in charge of letting its students through. Having to present a password, if given correctly, she was obliged to swing open and admit the person who provided the correct password.

The Character Changed to a More Boisterous One

Initially played by Elizabeth Spriggs in the first film, she was presented as a far more austere person who performed her duties diligently. In Prisoner of Azkaban, the character is played by Dawn French, a comedic actress who brought a much livelier and boisterous edge to the character. Of course, her role grew a lot darker when Sirius Black got into the Gryffindor common room after slashing her portrait and scaring the wits out of her.

11 Lavender Brown — Jennifer Smith Replaced by Jessie Cave

A character who enjoys more prominence in the books, Lavender Brown appeared in Chamber of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban, though she had no speaking lines in either. She was even played by two different actresses in each film. Kathleen Kauley appeared as Lavender in the former, while the role went to Jennifer Smith in the latter.

The Change Stirred up Controversy

By the time of The Half-Blood Prince, Lavender has a far more distinctive role in a romance plot since she becomes Ron’s girlfriend in that installment. Possibly because of her more extensive acting experience, both actresses were replaced by Jessie Cave, who took over the character till the final film. The move was, however, met with controversy since Jessie Cave was a white actress while Kauley and Smith were both people of color.

In fact, there were quite a few controversies surrounding the franchise, with J.K Rowling herself at the forefront of many of the most infamous issues, as The Hollywood Reporter explains:

Max could not make a series without a deal with the author, who still holds considerable control over the filmic rights to her stories. Rowling will be involved with the new series as an executive producer, though she is not expected to have day-to-day control or contribute to the writing. Many consider the author’s opinions expressed about the trans community to be offensive.

10 Pansy Parkinson — Genevieve Gaunt Replaced by Scarlett Hefner

Pansy Parkinson was an infamous student from Slytherin House who was often described as having a face like a Pug. It was not the most desirable role to take on, though the actresses who played her were far more presentable. A mean girl to Hermione, Pansy was also known for fawning over Draco Malfoy and later even becoming his pseudo-girlfriend. Never featuring much in the films, the character was actually played by four different people.

The Character Was Played by Multiple Actors

Katherine Nicholson and Lauren Hotton played her in Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Goblet of Fire, with neither actress being credited for the roles. In between, Genevieve Gaunt took over for Prisoner of Azkaban and played a small part.

She gave Harry grief in his Care of Magical Creatures class while rushing to care for Draco after his run-in with Buckbeak. Scarlett Hefner, then still known as Scarlett Byrne, played Pansy for the remainder of the films from Order of the Phoenix and had a few speaking lines here and there.

9 Alicia Spinnet — Leilah Sutherland Replaced by Rochelle Douglas

One change that most viewers probably never noticed was that of the character Alicia Spinnet. One of the Chasers from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Alicia, is known to be a kind and good person in the books. Unfortunately, her character never had any speaking lines in the films but does show up during Quidditch scenes.

She Was Mostly Around for Gryffindor’s Quidditch Scenes

Initially played by an actress named Leilah Sutherland, she was later replaced by another named Rochelle Douglas. Both actresses don’t seem to have any other big-name film credits, and the reason for the replacement wasn’t made public. We do know that Rochelle Douglas is a gymnastics instructor, so it’s possible that her athletic prowess had something to do with the change.

8 Katie Bell — Emily Dale Replaced by Georgina Leonidas

Another Chaser from Gryffindor’s Quidditch team, Katie Bell, was portrayed by Emily Dale in the first few films but mostly blended into the background. Known as a friendly person and a gentle soul, Harry once noted that Katie was the kind of person who never hurt a fly off the Quidditch pitch.

It Was Perhaps a Question of More Experience

In Half-Blood Prince, she was replaced by an older and more experienced actress, Georgina Leonidas. This was probably for the best since Katie had a notable role in that film. In case you forgot, she was the person who almost died after being cursed with the infamous necklace that was intended to assassinate Albus Dumbledore.

7 Angelina Johnson — Danielle Tabor Replaced by Tiana Benjamin

Angelina Johnson was another Quidditch teammate of Harry’s and a Chaser. In Harry’s sixth year, she was promoted to the Gryffindor team captain. She was initially played by Danielle Tabor, who portrayed her in the first three films. Other than in Quidditch scenes, she never played much of a role in the movies and was replaced by Tiana Benjamin in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Tiana Benjamin Was Older but Could Not Continue

Although Tiana did have a slightly more significant part as Katie in that film (Fred Weasley takes her to the Yule Ball), the actress also had commitments to her role in the British soap EastEnders and was unable to reprise the role in later films. Although a character that regularly popped up in the books, Angelina never had that much screen time in the films.

6 Elphias Doge — Peter Cartwright Replaced by David Ryall

An old friend of Albus Dumbledore, we first see Elphias Doge in Harry Potter and theOrder of the Phoenix. Part of Harry’s retinue that helps safely transport him, he was originally played by Peter Cartwright but never had any lines in the film.

Ryall Had a Speaking Role With Harry Potter

We next saw the character pop up in Deathly Hallows – Part One, where he was then played by David Ryall, who did have a speaking part this time, chatting with Harry at Bill and Fleur’s wedding. No official reason was provided for why Ryall took over the role, but due to his renowned stage and screen credits, it was likely due to him being a better fit for a speaking role.

5 Padma Patil — Sharon Sandhu Replaced by Afshan Azad

Often popping up in the books and films, the Patil twins were portrayed as a pair of Gryffindor girls from Harry’s year who were known best for being good-natured but also a little picky when it came to boys. However, the films departed slightly since Padma Patil was a Ravenclaw in the books.

They Came to Prominence in Goblet of Fire

In Prisoner of Azkaban, she was played by Sharon Sandhu and functioned mostly as a background character who never had any lines. From Goblet of Fire onward, the role went to Afshan Azad, who had a more significant role since she was Ron’s date for the Yule Ball, and ably played the part of being disgruntled with her choice, since Ron never made any effort to dance with her, or otherwise show her any attention, choosing to focus only on Hermione and Viktor Krum the entire night.

4 Parvati Patil — Sitara Shah Was Replaced by Shefali Chowdhury

Interestingly, unlike Fred and George Weasley, who were identical twins and played by identical twin brothers, James and Oliver Phelps, Parvati and Padma Patil were never played by real sisters. Neither were they depicted as identical twins in the films, despite being identical in the books. The role of Parvati Patil was initially played by Sitara Shah and appeared alongside Sharon Sandhu in Prisoner of Azkaban. Unlike her sister, she had a more noticeable role as she got to take on a Boggart in Professor Lupin’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

She Became Something of an Underused Character

Despite this, she was replaced by Shefali Chowdhury for Goblet of Fire, where she played a significant part as Harry’s date for the Yule Ball. Strangely, unlike Padma, Shefali or Parvati never appeared in another Harry Potter film, despite often showing up in the latter books.

3 Bill Weasley — Richard Fish Replaced by Domnhall Gleeson

Another significant character in the context of Harry’s journey to vanquish the Dark Lord, Bill Weasley, is the oldest Weasley sibling, described as trendy and good-looking. Originally played by Richard Fish in Prisoner of Azkaban, Fish’s only involvement was showing up in a Weasley family photo, which, of course, moved since it was a wizard photograph.

He Became a Crucial Character in the Fight Against Voldemort

For the final two films, Domnhall Gleeson took over and was perhaps lucky to do so. As the son of Brendan Gleeson, who played Mad-Eye Moody in the franchise, he apparently visited the set once and was asked to be a stand-in after previously auditioning for roles in the past, like that of Stan Shunpike, the Knight Bus driver. He would later win the role of Bill Weasley for the final two films and is now synonymous with the character.

2 Helena Ravenclaw — Nina Young Replaced by Kelly Macdonald

While this one was a little less noticeable and chances are not many viewers even realized it, Helena Ravenclaw, AKA The Gray lady who was the ghost of Ravenclaw house at first played a very small part in the films. In fact, the first actress who played her, Nina Young, appeared in the first two films but did nothing more than float around the castle as a ghost with no lines. However, by the final movie, the character, of course, becomes a lot more important.

This Time She Spoke and Played a Crucial Role

The next time we see Helena is in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, at which point we learn that she is actually the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the four original founders of Hogwarts. Helena protects the Diadem of Ravenclaw, which Harry learns is one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Their exchange is crucial to the plot and very ably played. Only this time, Rowena is a lot younger, and that’s because she was played by a younger actress, Kelly Macdonald, in the film.

1 Lord Voldemort — Richard Bremmer and Ian Hart Replaced by Ralph Fiennes

Of course, the standout recasting of the Harry Potter films has to go to LordVoldemort. The Dark Lord first appeared in The Sorcerer’s Stone and was then played by Richard Bremmer, who appeared in the flashback scene where Harry’s parents are killed. When he later shows up attached to the back of Professor Quirrel’s head, it is Ian Hart who portrayed him, though the actor was never physically on screen since those parts were achieved by CGI.

There Were Actually Six Voldemorts in Total

From Goblet of Fire onward, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was, of course, reborn and would go on to play a major role in that film and those that followed. Needing to up the ante for the role, that honor went to Ralph Fiennes, who immortalized Voldemort through his portrayal of him until the end of the franchise.

Of course, there were six actors who played the character in total, with Christian Coulsen playing the teenage Tom Riddle in Chamber of Secrets. Frank Dillane played another younger version of Voldemort in Half-Blood Prince, while Hero Fiennes-Tiffin played a younger version of Tom, as he shared scenes with Michael Gambon’s Dumbledore for flashback scenes that depict how Dumbledore recruited Riddle for Hogwarts. Hero is, of course, the nephew of Ralph Fiennes and supposedly got the part because of the intensity he brought to the role and the fact that he looked like a younger version of his illustrious uncle. The complete Harry Potter collection is available to stream on Max.

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