Tom Felton Explained Draco Malfoy's ‘Slight Redemption’ Arc: ‘Not a Hero at All’

Summary:

• To this day, Potterheads argue whether Draco Malfoy was a villain or a victim, and they usually don’t see the middle ground.
• Tom Felton, the Draco Malfoy actor, said that his character was indeed a bully, but that had to do with him being bullied, too.
• The Harry Potter star doesn’t accuse or justify Draco; he acknowledges him as a person and claims the boy had a “slight redemption” in the finale.

You know the Harry Potter series is great because many years (and even decades!) later, people are still arguing about it: its world, its story, its characters. Draco Malfoy might just be one of the most divisive characters in the entire saga as while some fans hate his guts, others tend to justify his actions and sympathize with him.

But what are any of our opinions next to Tom Felton’s, right? While the last Harry Potter movie was released over a dozen years ago, the man still is Draco Malfoy.

Tom Felton Got Candid on Draco’s Journey

Unlike his character’s numerous fans, Tom Felton doesn’t feel the need to justify Draco. The actor accepts his character just the way he is, and while admitting the circumstances that made him like that, Felton still calls Malfoy Jr. out for being an a-hole for the majority of the saga. Oh, and he doesn’t see his ultimate redemption.

“Harry had no parents, and he came out brilliantly with honor, love, and respect. Truth being at the heart of it. And Draco [had] both parents, but not so good ones, and he ended up being the bully. [I think Draco had a] slight redemption — I don’t think he was born to be the hero at all — but the slight understanding that he was a bully because he was basically bullied,” Felton explained to US Weekly.

Draco Malfoy Still Makes Waves Among Fans

Tom Felton’s approach to his character seems to be the golden balance between the two rather radical groups of fans. Those who vilify the boy completely ignore his problematic upbringing and the strong negative influence he was growing up under; and those who make Draco sound like an innocent victim ignore the fact that he, like any other human being, had free will and could have chosen his own path.

The Draco Malfoy star, however, sees right to the bottom of his iconic character’s nature: Draco was, indeed, a bully — but he was also being bullied. He could have chosen to be different, true; but at the same time, he was conditioned by his parents.

Source: US Weekly