Jason Isaacs Says Filming 'Harry Potter' Series Was 'Boring' But Said Movies Were 'Moving and Overwhelming'
Jason Isaacs, who played the villain Lucius Malfoy in the "Harry Potter" film series, recently confessed that his experience working on the beloved franchise was not quite as magical.
The 61-year-old actor, who is now part of the cast of HBO's The White Lotus Season 3, recently appeared on BBC's The One Show. There, he confessed that he found filming the "Harry Potter" movies boring. When asked what made the process less than magical, Isaacs attributed it to the studio's reliance on special effects, which often led to tedious filming days.
"It's a terrible confession to make: they weren't that much fun to make. It's quite boring making big special effects films," he noted.
That said, Isaacs was quick to emphasize the profound impact the franchise has had on audiences worldwide, adding that he still bursts out in tears when he takes his godchildren, nephews, or nieces to the Great Hall.
"It's incredibly moving and overwhelming," he added.
Isaacs originally auditioned to play Gilderoy Lockhart, the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts in Hogwarts, but was later cast to play Lucius in the "Chamber of Secrets." He portrayed the villain in six of the eight "Harry Potter" films from 2002 to 2011 (the year "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" was released).
Isaacs is not the only actor who has recently admitted to feeling unexcited on film sets that rely heavily on video effects. In 2021, Anthony Hopkins went viral for saying how pointless it felt to act in front of a green screen. He played Odin, Thor's father and the ruler of Asgard, in the Marvel franchise Thor.
Angela Bassett, however, stressed that she had a much better experience than Hopkins while filming "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" as the set was surrounded by "trees and bushes and water."
