The acclaimed actor, who brought depth and menace to the iconic Dark Lord in five Harry Potter films, confessed to initially dismissing the opportunity due to a prejudiced view of the fantasy genre.
Ralph Fiennes has revealed the surprising reason he almost turned down the iconic role of Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter franchise: misplaced snobbery. The acclaimed 62-year-old actor, who brought depth and menace to the role in five of the films, confessed that he initially dismissed the opportunity due to a prejudiced view of the fantasy genre. 'I hadn't seen the films in order to dislike them, I just hadn't seen them and I hadn't read the books. I was aware of their big success.
I think I was probably guilty of a sort of totally misplaced snobbery of witches and goblins and things,' Fiennes admitted to The Hollywood Reporter at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.However, his sister, Martha, played a key role in changing his mind. When Fiennes shared that the producers were interested in casting him as Voldemort, his sister urged him to take the role, emphasizing its significance. 'She said, “Voldemort, you’ve been asked to play Voldemort? You have to do it! Ralph you don’t realise, you don’t realise,”' Fiennes recalled. Ultimately, Fiennes' decision to embrace the challenge proved to be a triumph. He is widely praised for his chilling portrayal of the Dark Lord, capturing the character's complex nature and descent into evil.Fiennes' ability to immerse himself in diverse roles, from the morally ambiguous Nazi officer Amon Goth in Schindler's List to the conflicted Cardinal in Conclave, is a testament to his acting prowess. He described his approach to acting as seeking a connection with the character, regardless of its nature. 'There are parts where you feel like that would be fun to do, that’s not really me, but it’ll test me, like In Bruges – that character’s a long way from my lived experience, but a great part, and some parts are closer to your lived experience,' he explained. 'Clearly, I’m not a priest, but I felt there was something – yes it functions as a political thriller, but there’s a search for who is the right leader of a faith that has the right qualities of a spiritual leader,' he added, referring to his role in Conclave
RALPH Fiennes LORD VOLDEMORT HARRY POTTER ACTING ENTERTAINMENT HOLLYWOOD
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