The world was saddened by the announcement of Dame Maggie Smith’s death a few weeks ago. Since then, friends, family and past colleagues have continued to share their condolences and fond memories of the late British icon. Out of all her movies, most know her from the Harry Potter films as Professor Minerva McGonagall. Most recently, none other than Voldemort himself shared a great tidbit about his experience with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie actress.
Ralph Fiennes spent six years as the sinister antagonist in the Wizarding World, quite opposite to Smith’s revered head of Gryffindor House. Though they played adversaries, they were very friendly on set. The Conclave actor was recently asked by Entertainment Tonight what it was like filming Harry Potter with the Gosford Park actress, and he revealed it to be quite comforting, saying:
I have to say I never worked with Maggie much. Except on Harry Potter. But she had a wonderful, rather lethal sense of humor. She gave me a sort of ironic side eye when we were doing one of the big confrontational scenes, as if to say 'Darling what are we doing here?' I have admired her for many, many years. She's one of our great actresses. One of our great greats. Amazing wit. She was a one off.
Despite both being prominent British actors, Ralph Fiennes only worked with Maggie Smith in the Wizarding World franchise, but it’s clear she had an impact on him. Even in this brief anecdote, her charm and humor shines through. An ironic side eye is even something I can picture Professor McGonagall doing, but it turns out that’s all Maggie. The Sister Act actress had a special way of transmitting her own personality in her fictional portrayals.
In all the tributes following Smith’s death, her former co-stars made sure to emphasize that “lethal humor” The Menu actor is talking about. This is especially true for the young actors in Harry Potter, who she clearly had a huge influence on from a young age. To them, Smith was a maternal figure in a way, putting their nerves at ease and guiding them with kindness in what is such a tough industry. From their tributes on Instagram, they all felt very close to her, especially Daniel Radcliffe who worked with her on his very first set. Smith later referred him to play the Boy Who Lived, so we have her to thank for our beloved Harry Potter. I can’t imagine the magical films without both of them.
Of course, I can’t picture anyone else playing the sinister villain Voldemort either, and to think Ralph Fiennes almost turned it down. Fiennes' catalog of movies is pretty impressive, but I’d argue a main role in the Harry Potter films will be any actor’s legacy. I’m sure now the Skyfall actor’s quite glad for the films given it allowed him to work alongside the Downton Abbey legend, given he wished he could have experienced more of her talent. He continued:
A great actress of many years work. I wish I had seen her onstage as a young woman. It's a great loss isn't it? There's no question. A great loss.
It's a great loss indeed. Maggie Smith brought so much life to the screen and continued to do so as recent as 2023 at age 88 in The Miracle Club. She always did what she loved, acting, no matter the circumstance. She even filmed some of the Harry Potter movies while actively undergoing chemotherapy. Had they offered her a role in the new Harry Potter series at 89, even if it was just a cameo, I like to think she would have taken it.
On that note, whoever is cast as McGonagall in the Max television adaptation of the beloved series will have some big shoes to fill. I know Max will honor this character and her original actress well, as they have already started to do. I recently sat down to watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and teared up when I saw they wasted no time adding an In Memoriam message before the title screen. You can see the message for yourself as well as enjoy some of Maggie’s best performances in the Wizarding World franchise from start to finish with a Max subscription.
