Sir Ian McKellen has explained why he refused to take over the iconic role of Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films after Richard Harris passed away in 2002.
Harris, who played the beloved Hogwarts headmaster in the first two films, died before Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban began production.
Warner Bros. then approached McKellen to take over the role, but he declined.
McKellen’s decision to pass on Dumbledore came down to comments Harris had made about him years prior.
According to McKellen, Harris once described him, along with fellow actors Derek Jacobi and Kenneth Branagh, as “technically brilliant, but passionless.”
While McKellen did not take the comment personally, he felt it wouldn’t be right to replace Harris under those circumstances.
In a 2017 BBC interview, McKellen explained, “When they called me up and asked if I’d be interested in playing Dumbledore, I couldn’t take on the part of an actor who disapproved of me.”
Instead, the role went to Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore from Prisoner of Azkaban onwards.
Despite turning down the role, McKellen found great success in another legendary franchise.
Around the same time, he was playing Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, a character that has drawn comparisons to Dumbledore due to their wise and magical nature.
McKellen’s past decision resurfaced amid recent reports that John Lithgow is in talks to play Dumbledore in the upcoming Harry Potter TV reboot.
The new series, which Warner Bros. has promised will follow the books more closely, is currently in pre-production.
Deadline initially reported the news, though HBO has yet to confirm any casting.
In a statement, the network said, “We appreciate that such a high-profile series will draw a lot of rumour and speculation.”
“As we make our way through pre-production, we will only confirm details as we finalize deals.”
Discussion