Alan Cumming’s Blunt Rejection of a Harry Potter Role
Alan Cumming has revealed why he turned down the part of Gilderoy Lockhart in the Harry Potter films, citing pay issues and misleading claims about the production’s budget.
The Harry Potter films are famous for their parade of top-tier British talent, with the likes of Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, and Alan Rickman all making appearances. While the main trio were fresh faces, the supporting cast was packed with seasoned performers. Oddly enough, Alan Cumming never joined the line-up, despite his reputation for nailing eccentric roles and his success both on stage and in films like GoldenEye and Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion.
When the casting call went out for Gilderoy Lockhart, the flashy Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in the second instalment, Cumming seemed a natural fit. But as he told The Telegraph, things quickly soured over pay.
“They wanted me and Rupert Everett to do a screen test, and they said they couldn’t pay me more than a certain sum; they just didn’t have any more money in the budget,”
Cumming explained. He went on to say that he and Everett shared an agent, and it became clear Everett was being offered a better deal. The whole situation left Cumming unimpressed, especially since he felt the production was
“blatantly lying”
about the money on offer.
Pay Disputes and Casting Frustrations
Feeling misled, Cumming didn’t mince words.
“I said, ‘Tell them to fuck right off’ and thought, well Rupert’s going to get the part,”
he recalled. But even that didn’t pan out for his mate. Everett was made to audition, even bringing his own wig, only for the role to go to Kenneth Branagh in the end. Branagh, already a big name with an Oscar nod under his belt, was an unexpected pick for a character mostly there for comic relief.
Lockhart, for all his bluster and supposed heroics, is eventually exposed as a fraud and flees when things get hairy at Hogwarts. The part, while memorable, wasn’t exactly a career-defining moment, but it’s still a bit of a shame that Cumming never got his shot at the wizarding world.
Missed Opportunities and New Roles
Despite missing out on the Harry Potter juggernaut, Cumming didn’t have to wait long for another big gig. The following year, he landed the role of Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United. Unlike Lockhart, Nightcrawler was a key player and quickly became a fan favourite. News of Cumming’s return as Nightcrawler in Avengers: Doomsday has been met with plenty of excitement from punters keen to see him back in action.
While the Harry Potter films went on without him, Cumming’s career hardly suffered. His knack for picking up quirky, memorable roles has kept him in the spotlight, and his blunt approach to dodgy deals has only added to his reputation as someone who doesn’t muck about when it comes to fairness.