As one of the most important franchises of the last decades, the Harry Potter films have some of the most talented and recognized actors in history. All of the actors gave iconic and memorable portrayals of the beloved characters, but some actors could have given a lot more if the writers and producers had given them a chance.
Whether it's because the saga didn't give them enough screen time or because they could have made a bigger impact in a more prominent role, these actors didn't reach their full potential in the Harry Potter franchise. Nevertheless, these actors are some of the best in the industry.
10 David Thewlis Could Have Played A More Complex Remus Lupin
David Thewlis appears in Harry Potter as the beloved Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Remus Lupin. No one would deny that Thewlis did an excellent job embodying the Marauder, but the movies could have used his skills to portray Lupin in a more complex way. Since the films left a lot of information out, Lupin ended up being one of the most poorly adapted characters in Harry Potter.
Thewlis has proven to be an excellent actor, especially with this role as John Dee in Netflix's The Sandman. If the movies had delved into Lupin's struggle with his werewolf form and his romance with Nymphadora Tonks, Thewlis surely would have been up to the task.
9 Zoë Wanamaker Should Have A Had A Bigger Role
Zoë Wanamaker plays the stern but fair Professor of Broom Flight Class, Madame Hooch, who also acts as a referee in most Quidditch matches in the school. Wanamaker has many awards for her work both on stage and on the screen.
Wanamaker is mostly known for her work in theater, as she was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has several Tony Awards nominations, and she won an Olivier Award for her work in Once in a Lifetime. Such an amazing actor shouldn't have been relegated to this secondary character, and she would have been incredible in a bigger, more impactful role.
8 John Cleese As Nearly Headless Nick Would Have Been Amazing In More Movies
John Cleese portrayed the ghost of Nearly Headless Nick, Gryffindor's house ghost, in the first two movies of the Harry Potter series. His role immediately became canonical thanks to Cleese's great mastery of comedy. However, this actor didn't reprise his role in the following installments.
Cleese is one of the greatest comedy actors and is best known for his role in the Monty Python series. It's a shame fans didn't get to see him throughout other Harry Potter movies since his character could have added a constant sense of magic and some hilarious scenes.
7 David Tennant Was Amazing But Had Little Screen Time
David Tennant had very little screen time in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but he did an incredible job. He portrayed Voldemort's most loyal Death Eater, Barty Crouch Jr., who makes sure Harry is in the right place for Voldemort to kidnap him.
Barty Crouch Jr. was out of touch with reality due to his time in Azkaban and obsessed with becoming Voldemort's second hand, and Tennant did an amazing work depicting this character's evil nature. However, Barty Crouch Jr. dies at the end of Goblet of Fire, and it was a shame for fans of the actor that they didn't get to see more of his character.
6 Helen McCrory Was The Perfect Narcissa Malfoy
One of the best adaptations of a Harry Potter character was Helen McCrory's portrayal of Narcissa Malfoy. She did so well that she even made the character more complex and interesting for the readers. Before McCrory, fans didn't really have a lot of empathy for the character.
However, McCrory has very little screen time. She only appears in the last three installments of the franchise, even though the Malfoy family is relevant since the second movie. It would have been a treat for fans to see this character's development from the beginning of Harry Potter.
5 Jamie Campbell Bower Could Have Been So Much More As Grindelwald
Jamie Campbell Bower wasn't a big name before his role on Stranger Things, but his portrayal of 001/Vecna has earned him a lot of praise. Still, few people may remember that the famous antagonist of the Netflix series also appeared in Harry Potter.
Bower has one of the smallest roles in the franchise, interpreting a young version of Gellert Grindelwald. He appears only for a few seconds in the original saga, and he reprised his role in The Secrets of Dumbledore. Now that fans saw this actor's talents as Vecna, they see how much more the writers should have developed his character in the Harry Potter universe.
4 Robert Pattinson Could Have Added More Complexity To Cedric Diggory
Before becoming Edward Cullen in Twilight, Robert Pattinson appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff student who becomes Hogwarts' champion and Harry's competition in the Triwizard Tournament. While his role as Cedric was amazing, fans have come to know Robert Pattinson's best roles since then.
Throughout the last decade, Pattinson has earned several important awards for his acting career, but more notably, he received a lot of praise recently for his role as Bruce Wayne in The Batman. Since Diggory was such an interesting character in the books, it would have been great to see what Pattinson could have done with a better script for his character.
3 Julie Christie Is Too Talented For Such A Small Role
Julie Christie has probably the smallest role in the Harry Potter movies. She depicts Madam Rosmerta in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the iconic bartender of the Three Broomsticks and one of the many people who knew the Marauders.
However, what a lot of younger audiences may not know is that this talented actor is one of the most emblematic actors of the '60s. She has received many awards for her acting career, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Golden Globe. It's truly outrageous that Christie wasn't given a bigger role in these movies.
2 John Hurt's Ollivander Should Have Appeared More
John Hurt's Mr. Ollivander was the quirky and genius wandmaker who sells Harry his first wand. Hurt did an amazing job portraying this character's brilliant yet ominous behavior during The Philosopher's Stone as well as his moral ambiguity in the last two films.
However, such an iconic character should have appeared in more installments of the franchise. Hurt earned several nominations and awards throughout his career, and his job in Harry Potter speaks for itself. It would have been a delight to get more scenes with this incredible actor, especially since the ones in Goblet of Fire were deleted.
1 Emma Thompson's Trelawney Could Have Been An Important Hogwarts Professor
One of the most iconic actors of this generation, Emma Thompson has appeared in several emblematic works, such as Nanny McPhee and Love Actually. In Harry Potter, she appears as Professor Sybill Trelawney, the quirky and histrionic Divination teacher.
Even though Thompson has one of the most beloved roles in the franchise, fans can't help but think that her role was too small. Her portrayal of Trelawney gave the character the depth and complexity that she lacks in the books. However, Thompson deserved to play an important Hogwarts professor. There are many recurring characters with Thompson's profile in the series, and it would have been a delight to see more of this actor in the Harry Potter universe.