Before the casting of Richard Harris, fellow veteran thespian Richard Attenborough apparently lobbied for the key role of Dumbledore but ultimately lost out when Harris' grand-daughter intervened and told him he had to take the role or she'd never speak to him again. He was actually second choice after Patric McGoohan had to turn down the offer for health reasons. But then, when the legendary actor died, Warner Bros. faced a tough decision of how to recast him. Before arriving at Michael Gambon, they approached Sir Ian McKellen, but he is said to have turned it down, thanks to the similarity of Gandalf as a role. McKellen also subsequently admitted that Harris had previously criticized his acting, saying he was "dreadful" and "passionless" after he won Gandalf from him, and McKellen subsequently didn't feel he should take the role, which he clearly didn't think was good enough for him:
"Richard Harris was mainly a disappointed man because I had played Gandalf and he had to settle for Dumblewit. Or Dumblebore, I should say."
A great shame, to say the least. Which of these near-misses would you have liked to see in the finished Harry Potter franchise? Share your thoughts below in the comments thread.
Before the casting of Richard Harris, fellow veteran thespian Richard Attenborough apparently lobbied for the key role of Dumbledore but ultimately lost out when Harris' grand-daughter intervened and told him he had to take the role or she'd never speak to him again. He was actually second choice after Patric McGoohan had to turn down the offer for health reasons. But then, when the legendary actor died, Warner Bros. faced a tough decision of how to recast him. Before arriving at Michael Gambon, they approached Sir Ian McKellen, but he is said to have turned it down, thanks to the similarity of Gandalf as a role. McKellen also subsequently admitted that Harris had previously criticized his acting, saying he was "dreadful" and "passionless" after he won Gandalf from him, and McKellen subsequently didn't feel he should take the role, which he clearly didn't think was good enough for him: