Alan Cumming apparently explained things very clearly to the producers of “The 40th Anniversary” (got it?) Harry Potter when they offered him a role in the franchise.
It has long been known that the former The good wife Star was once in the running for the role of the ill-fated Hogwarts professor Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsthe second film in the fantasy series. In a new interview with The TelegraphCumming explained in no uncertain terms what led him to turn down the role.
“I didn’t turn it down,” Cumming told the British newspaper. “I told them to fuck off!”
Mike Pont/WireImage Alan Cumming in 2017.
The actor explained that a salary dispute with the potter Producers were the reason for his terse answer. “They wanted me and Rupert Everett to do a test shoot and they said they couldn’t pay me more than a certain amount, they just didn’t have any more money in the budget,” he recalled. “And I had the same agent as Rupert, who of course they wanted to pay more. And that was an obvious lie, a stupid lie. So if you’re going to lie, you better be smart about it.”
“I said tell them to fuck off,” he continued. “And thought, well, Rupert’s going to get the part. They had him do screen tests and I remember he brought his own wig. And then they gave it to Kenneth bloody Branagh, who stepped out of the shadows.”
In fact, Branagh ended up playing the role of Lockhart, which was offered to Hugh Grant, along with Cumming and Everett. (He reportedly turned it down due to scheduling conflicts.)
Harry Potter marks the 20th anniversary of the first film in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stonelater this year. To mark the occasion, HBO Max, TBS and Cartoon Network will release a limited Wizarding World trivia competition series and a special retrospective of the film.
Cumming can currently be seen in the Apple TV+ musical comedy Schmigadoonin the role of the mayor of the titular magical city. He also recently lent his voice to a character in HBO Max’s controversial animated parody of the royal family. The Prince.
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