The famous actor wanted to be part of the 'Harry Potter' saga but it was J.K. Rowling who stopped him.
Robin Williams is one of the most recognized actors internationally, however even he has been rejected for some role. This is the case of the beloved character from the 'Harry Potter' saga, Remus Lupin, werewolf and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts, whom Robin Williams wanted to play. This has been reported by Chris Columbus, director of the films 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' and 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' exclusively for Total Film.
As Columbus tells it, he had a conversation with Robin Williams, who was very interested in the role. However, there was a reason that prevented him from doing so and he couldn't even make an exception for him. The rule was imposed by the writer J.K Rowling herself and was immovable: they could only hire British actors to maintain the authenticity of the books.
However, just because that rule existed doesn't mean it was any less difficult for Chris Columbus to say no to an actor of Robin Williams' level. "The goal was not to hire any American actors, but it was very difficult for me to say 'they all have to be English, there's nothing I can do.'" Very ironic since the director of the film himself is American.
In this way, the role of werewolf professor was finally assigned to David Thewlis.
The director also spoke about another very important role in the 'Harry Potter' saga: Professor Snape. "I didn't really think that Alan Rickman would be willing to play Professor Snape after the iconic villain role he played in 'Die Hard'. But "I can't imagine anyone else playing Snape. Alan is a great professional."
Whatever the case, it is clear that the actors who finally gave life to their characters are iconic and all fans remember them with great affection, especially this year, which is the 20th anniversary of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'.
