Can you imagine the Harry Potter films without Daniel Radcliffe as the boy wizard? Apparently it nearly happened.
The star has told a Hollywood film website that his parents were not going to let him even audition for the part because they didn't want him to have to move to Los Angeles to make the planned six films. The director of the first film, Chris Columbus, had seen Radcliffe appear in the Dickens adaptation David Copperfield and decided that he wanted him to audition for the part of Harry Potter.
"They went to my parents, and, at the time, the deal was to sign on for - I think - six films, all to be done in LA, and my mum and dad simply said, 'That's too much disruption to his life. That's not gonna happen'," Radcliffe told the Hollywood Reporter.
"I didn't know any of that had gone on. And then, maybe three, four months down the line, the deal had changed, and it was gonna be to shoot two films, and they'd both be done in England, and so they said, 'Okay, we'll let him audition.' And then it all went from there, really."
Phew!
It got us thinking about which would be the best Harry Potter character to play in the films. Severus Snape was voted the public's favourite Harry Potter character, and Harry is JK Rowling's own favourite but we reckon the Weasleys would be the most fun to act.
Which Harry Potter character would you like to play? And would your parents let you? Email us at childrens.books@guardian.co.uk with Harry Potter in the subject line to tell us who and why. We'll print your choices below
Which Harry Potter character would you like to play?
tambourine:
if they ever made prequel films, i would love to be a younger andromeda black. i'm not posh enough, but whatever
DanniiLowe:
I'd play Luna - because she's a litle strange and unique. But also she has that caring and distant nature
OrliTheBookworm:
I'd love to play Hermione, since she's practically my twin, but I'd also like to play Luna as she is so dreamy and a fabulous character!
RC:
I think my favourite Potter character to play would be Ron Weasley mainly because I have ginger hair and get told that I should have auditioned for the role all the time. Plus he's wicked funny and seems like the chilled out kinda person I would wanna be around. Plus who doesn't love hermione?
