While Daniel Radcliffe, Tom Felton, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and the other kids of the Harry Potter movies led the series, they were supported by some of the greatest actors of all time. From the late Robbie Coltrane to Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Smith and Helena Bonham Carter, the list of prestigious and phenomenal actors the young stars worked with is endless. However, one of the actors Radcliffe and the other younger stars really adored was Gary Oldman, who played Sirius Black, and Felton has revealed that he and some of the cast were jealous of the bond between Radcliffe and Oldman.
In his new memoir, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard, Felton dives into his life before, after and during the franchise that changed it. He gets candid about addiction and going to rehab, as well as his relationships with his costars. In an excerpt from his book (via Insider), he wrote about what it was like when Oldman came onto the set, and how he and the others were a bit “jealous” of the relationship between the Harry Potter and Sirius Black actors. He said:
Just as Sirius became a father figure to Harry, I had the sense that Gary became something of an inspiration for Daniel, helping him to navigate the tricky path of growing up in the spotlight as well as hone his acting skills…They seemed to me to share a very similar sense of humor and approach to the other cast and crew. I think some of us — myself included — were a bit jealous of that bond…We could see that, in part thanks to Gary's influence, Dan was really starting to learn the craft better than any of us. Who better to have on your side in that respect than Gary Oldman?
In the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary (which you can watch with an HBO Max subscription) Radcliffe discussed how nervous he was to meet Oldman. Watson also told a cute story about him being so nervous to meet the older actor that he told her they all had to act cool when he got to set. When I was watching the bit between Oldman and Radcliffe it seemed clear just how much he adores and looks up to the older actor. Due to the characters' close relationship in the third, fourth and fifth installments, it makes sense why the two became so close, and why Felton wrote about being a bit jealous of their relationship.
While Felton explained that he was a bit envious of Radcliffe and Oldman, he has also noted that he loves the Harry Potter actor “dearly.” He said he would “consider him a brother.” The Draco actor also said that he really admires Radcliffe's work ethic and how he led the Potter films.
As for Oldman, it seems like a lot of the younger stars really looked up to him, and that makes a lot of sense. While Felton mistook him for a cleaner on set one day, he noted that for such a successful actor he’s “unassuming and down-to-earth.” Before and after Harry Potter, Oldman starred in some incredible films and has transformed himself for many of them, including Sirius Black. From Dracula to Darkest Hour to The Dark Knight, and then you add in that he’s just a nice guy, it makes sense why these actors were starstruck by Oldman and sought his mentorship.
Radcliffe and Felton have gone on to have successful careers post-Potter, and it's cool to know how much they looked up to and were mentored by the stunning actors they worked alongside in the eight Harry Potter movies.
