'Harry Potter' Actress Blasts Series, Says It "Wasn't Important" to Her

A Harry Potter actress has dismissed the series, insisting that it “wasn’t important” to her.

From 2001 to 2011, Harry Potter ruled supreme at the box office as the world’s most hyped franchise. Inspired by the series of the same name by JK Rowling, the franchise followed the Boy Who Lived (Daniel Radcliffe) as he and his friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) fought against the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes).

While it’s been over 10 years since the last installment – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) – hit theaters, it still has a tight grip on pop culture. So tight, in fact, that HBO is currently in the process of producing a TV reboot, this time releasing an entire season based on each of the original seven books.

We’re still a way off the show’s premiere, but we do now have our core cast, with HBO unveiling the actors set to portray everyone from Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley to the likes of Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape, and Aunt Petunia.

For now, it’s an entirely fresh cast. While some actors from the OG films have dismissed the idea of returning – and others have suggested they’d be keen to return in a different role – one actress we can assume won’t be revisiting the Wizarding World is Miriam Margolyes.

The British-Australian actress has appeared in the likes of The Age of Innocence (1993) and Romeo + Juliet (1996) but is best known to younger audiences for her time at Hogwarts. Margolyes starred in two installments in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, as Professor Sprout, the resident Herbology teacher during Harry’s years at the school.

Her role may not have been overly prominent, but according to an interview with Vogue, Margolyes regularly has fans come up to her and say “I just love you,” while also asking for a hug.

However, while Margolyes – who has admitted that she hasn’t “got long to live” – knows that her role means a lot to fans, it “doesn’t mean as much to [her] as it does to them.”

“For me, Harry Potter wasn’t important,” she told Vogue. “I was very glad I got the part and I enjoyed being in it and meeting all the people, but it’s not Charles Dickens.”

The actress has previously also stressed that she thinks the series was “for children. I think it’s for children, but they get stuck in it.” She also stated that she judges those who have Harry Potter-themed weddings. “People say, ‘Oh, we’re having a Harry Potter-themed wedding,’ and I think, ‘Gosh, what’s their first night of fun going to be?’ I can’t even think about it!”

Margolyes has been criticized by fellow Harry Potter star Jessie Cave, who played Gryffindor Lavender Brown, in the past for her blasé attitude to the franchise. When asked for her opinion on the controversy at a Harry Potter fan convention in Paris, Cave declared Margolyes’ stance as “terrible.”

After explaining that she thinks Margolyes is naturally funny and probably didn’t mean for her words to be taken so seriously, she said: “I really don’t like that she said that. It’s such an amazing thing that Harry Potter has done. It’s created a fan base that has aged and is still bonded through it, and it’s passed on to younger generations, and that’s what is so amazing.”

However, Margolyes is far from the only one to distance themselves from the franchise over the years. The likes of the late Alan Rickman (Professor Snape) and Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall) have also discussed their frustrations during their years on set, with the latter explaining that her role never really felt like acting.

What do you think of Miriam Margolyes’ comments on Harry Potter?