Why Did Almost Every Major Harry Potter Actor Hate Working on the Franchise?

The Harry Potter franchise is one of the most popular and successful film series in the history of cinema. But you might be surprised to learn that, despite its massive success, the franchise hasn't always been a magical place for some of its key players.

Here are Harry Potter's biggest stars and the reasons why working on such a big project has been both a blessing and a torture for them.

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)

Daniel Radcliffe's rapid rise to fame through Harry Potter was undeniably challenging, though the actor sees it as a blessing. The boy who lived had to deal with the pressures of learning to act on the road in the early films.

Radcliffe also faced immense pressure as a global icon, leading to a battle with alcohol during the filming of the final three films, which he thankfully overcame by the end of the franchise in 2010 (via The Guardian).

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)

Emma Watson found the schedule of filming and promotion for Harry Potter overwhelming, as the structured routine of her days and the attention to the films presented noticeable challenges. As the series drew to an end, Watson even considered walking away from the franchise.

The actress criticized the demanding outdoor filming for Deathly Hallows – Part 1, describing it as the most intense and challenging period of her filmmaking career (via Daily Mail).

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)

Unlike many of his fellow cast members in the Potter franchise, Rupert Grint had no intention of choosing acting as a career. An introvert, he found the filming and promotion experience so overwhelming that, like Emma Watson, he considered leaving the franchise after the Goblet of Fire was released.

Grint mentioned that starring in the series had somehow "ruined" Harry Potter for him and left him wondering if he wanted to chase acting as a lifelong career (via The Guardian).

Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall)

Despite her acclaimed performance as Professor Minerva McGonagall, Maggie Smith didn't like the role, finding it "exhausting" most of the time. McGonagall expressed her gratitude for her work in the series but noted that it didn't provide the same satisfaction as her preferred stage acting, but she took the role because offers for stage acting were becoming more and more scarce (via The Guardian).

Alan Rickman (Severus Snape)

No one could have delivered a more iconic performance as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series than Alan Rickman, and yet the actor wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the role.

In 2018, a set of Alan Rickman's personal letters were put up for auction, and these letters revealed Rickman's significant dissatisfaction with the way director David Yates handled his character in the last four films of the series.

It was revealed that Rickman was unhappy with the director's vision, stating that it seemed to prioritize appealing to teenage audiences (via Independent).

Sources: Daily Mail,Independent, The Guardian 1, 2, 3