'Harry Potter' Cast Were Drinking At 'Industrial Pace' During Filming, Draco's Dad Reveals
Jason Isaacs, known for his portrayal of Draco's dad Lucius Malfoy in the "Harry Potter" film series, looked back on his time filming with the film's younger cast.
In an interview with the New York Post, Isaacs, 60, briefly spoke about his "Harry Potter" filming experience while promoting his BritBox miniseries "Archie," where he plays the role of Cary Grant.
"It was always strange going back to the films where they were a couple [of] years older than the last time I saw them, and I would treat them how they had been previously," the actor said.
He continued, "So, treating a 14-year-old like a 12-year-old wasn't great."
"And, when they were 18, and we treated them like they still weren't allowed to smoke or drink -- and, they were doing both at an industrial pace -- that was odd," he added, sharing the young stars' drinking habits while filming.
Isaacs went on to praise Daniel Radcliffe, Tom Felton and their former "Harry Potter" co-stars, saying, "They're all men and women, and very accomplished in whatever field they are, and it's always lovely to see them."
The English actor's anecdote about the "Harry Potter" stars is just a glimpse of what Radcliffe and Felton's previous struggles with alcohol addiction were like.
Radcliffe, who rose to fame at age 12 when he portrayed the titular role in the hit film series, previously spoke about his drinking problems during his youth.
In 2019, he admitted to drinking heavily while filming "Harry Potter" to cope with his extreme popularity.
"In my case, the quickest way to forget about the fact that you're being watched is to get very drunk," Radcliffe told Sam Jones on "Off Camera."
The actor continued, "And then as you get very drunk, you become aware that 'Oh, people are watching more now because now I'm getting very drunk, so I should probably drink more to ignore that more."
Radcliffe has been sober since 2010. He welcomed a son with his partner Erin Darke in July 2023.
Isaac's onscreen son in the "Harry Potter" series, Felton, also spoke about his struggles with alcohol use in his 2022 memoir "Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard."
He confessed in his book that he started as he was "craving normality." He also used "drinking to escape," per People.
"I went from being not particularly interested to regularly having a few pints a day before the sun had even gone down, and a shot of whiskey to go with each of them," he wrote in his book.
He added, "The alcohol, though, wasn't the problem. It was the symptom. The problem was deeper."
With the help of his friends, managers, lawyer and former girlfriend Jade Olivia, he was sent to rehab for treatment.
