It’s not a big surprise that the Harry Potter movies could have been much different had various other celebrities been cast into key roles. But there are some moments when it almost feels as though the movie dodged a bullet by not casting a certain actor. To be fair, Hugh Grant is a good actor since he can make people hate his character or love him, but it feels as though he wasn’t the right type for a Harry Potter movie. The role that he was meant to take on, that of Gilderoy Lockhart, was instead taken by Kenneth Branagh, who turned in a great performance that made a lot of people cringe in a big way since he played the part quite well. But trying to put Grant into this role feels like it wouldn’t have been the right fit. Something about his character tends to appear a little more severe than the Harry Potter movies needed. His acerbic wit and ability to come off as a sarcastic individual doesn’t feel like something that would have been fully appreciated in The Chamber of Secrets, though his name was on the list apparently.
He is a celebrated actor, there’s no doubt about this, but trying to insert Hugh into the role of Lockhart makes one feel as though this would have been one of the worst casting decisions of the entire series. Given that Lockhart was only around for one movie it’s not likely that people would have had a huge issue about it, as the memory charm that backfired on Lockhart when he attempted to use Ron Weasely’s wand made him less than likely to continue onward. To put it lightly, Lockhart was a rather detestable individual since he was the type of person that took the credit for the exploits of others and erased their memories in the process.
Watching Kenneth Branagh play the role was comical, to be honest, and it never became too serious or dark as the overall feel of the movie was that of a kid’s movie since to be fair, it was a kid’s book initially. The Harry Potter series didn’t get dark until later, when the main stars had grown up a bit, and even then it’s never been the kind of story that might have fit Grant’s capabilities. It was a decent thought, but Branagh was capable of something that Grant doesn’t always do that well, providing a softer version of a character that could have been a lot darker than they were made out to be. In essence, Lockhart was a fool since he barely even talked a good game, judging solely by the facial expressions of his fellow wizards. But for the movie, he was a necessary fool since he provided another issue to be dealt with and another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to fill the spot for a little while. But when it came to magic, he was about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. Seeing Hugh in this role feels like it might have been interesting at least, but it also feels like it wouldn’t have been the right role.
It’s very easy to equate Hugh with roles that see him as a sarcastic and witty individual, but it’s also easy to see him as someone that’s a lot edgier than just about any character in the Harry Potter movies, and it’s fair to think that he would have stood out in a big way, but not a particularly good way. It’s also very likely that he might have looked at the role and decided it simply wasn’t for him, which was of course a good thing. Trying to think of what might have happened had Grant been placed into a Harry Potter movie isn’t too tough since he’s a good actor that’s been given several roles throughout his career and he’s performed all of them to the best of his ability. But the fact is that had he been a part of this, Lockhart might not have been seen as a bumbler that was essentially harmless, he might have been seen as a diabolical individual that was far beyond the norm for all but a few villains within the story.
Sometimes it’s best to not go with the first or second pick when trying to fill a role, either because the individual isn’t right or because they didn’t want the role to start with. It’s always interesting to think of what might have happened otherwise, but in some cases, it feels as though the best decision was made at the time, and that had they been any different, the movie wouldn’t be quite the same. Despite his great acting ability, Kenneth Branagh can come off as a bit of a bumbler in a much more convincing manner.
