# Casting for Harry Potter and the OOTP **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295 "2006-02-06T20:55:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/1 "2006-02-06T20:55:40Z")
Avec Pictures! So, we’ve known for a while [Imelda Staunton](http://www.estadao.com.br/ext/divirtase/oscar/2005/fotos-g/imeldastaunton.jpg) was going to play Umbridge. New castings are - [Helen McCrory](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/anna/whoswho/images/anna.jpg) as Bellatrix Lestrange, as rumoured. [Evanna Lynch](http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41286000/jpg/_41286732_luna_evanna_big.jpg) as Luna Lovegood. [Natalia Tena](http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/images/gonetoearth.jpg), as Tonks, and of whom I can’t google any good photos. [Michael Wildman](http://www.kenwright.com/uploads/biogs/60.jpg), as Magorian. As usual, there are still plenty of heavily rumoured people, but as yet not confirmed. Thoughts? Good/Bad casting? ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/2 "2006-02-06T20:59:45Z")
…and it’s occurred to me this should be in Cafe Society. Curses. Anyway, here’s my thoughts; Umbridge: Looks like how I imagined her, and Imelda’s a very good actress, so no worries here. Bellatrix: Looks sortof like how I pictured her. Haven’t seen her in anything, either. Evanna Lynch: I can’t look at any photos without being drawn to that dye job. Anyway, like all the kids she’s an unknown, so she could be bad or good. I hope she does her justice, Luna’s one of my favourite characters. Magorian: Damn, this guy is hot. I’ve seen him in Holby City or Casualty or something (looks it up…yep, Casualty) and he seems like a good actor. He’ll probably only have one scene, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/3 "2006-02-06T21:02:19Z")
> [@Revenant Threshold](#): > > Thoughts? You’re in the wrong forum and in great need of a more descriptive thread title. I see “OOTP” and think “[Out of the Park](http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/ootp/)”, not “Order of the Phoenix”. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/4 "2006-02-06T21:11:32Z")
I moved your thread, **Revenant Threshold** , and expanded the title a bit (replaced “HP” with “Harry Potter”). ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/5 "2006-02-06T21:13:19Z")
Thanks twice. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/6 "2006-02-06T22:45:07Z")
Who’s Magorian? I just read the book, and damn if I can’t remember that character. There’s another character cast: Kingsley Shacklebolt will be played by [George Harris](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0364711/), probably best known as Katanga in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/7 "2006-02-06T22:47:12Z")
Gotta say that I don’t like the look of Luna. If anything, I think she looks like a female Draco Malfoy. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/8 "2006-02-06T22:51:05Z")
> [@Airblairxxx](#): > > Who’s Magorian? I just read the book, and damn if I can’t remember that character. One of the centaurs - on the “we do not involve ourselves” side. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/9 "2006-02-06T23:53:55Z")
I love Imelda Staunton. She’ll be a wonderful Umbridge. Helen McCrory as Bellatrix Lestrange. I’ve only ever seen her in the Charles II thing on PBS – she played Lady Castlemaine to Rufus Sewell’s (yum) Charles. Judging from that role. McCrory is well-cast as Bellatrix. Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood. An unknown, so it’s hard to say. She _looks_ okay for the role once they mess her up a bit and slap some goofy earrings on her. Should be all right. Natalia Tena, as Tonks. This one’s giving me some trouble. Reading the books, I’ve always ‘seen’ Tonks as [Charlotte Coleman, who played Scarlett on _Four Weddings and a Funeral_](http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorsC/P00003371.HTML). But Coleman is dead, and probably would have been too old for the part anyway. Still, this Natalie Tena (whom I’m completely unfamiliar with) will have a rough go to be Tonks for me. Michael Wildman, as Magorian. Never heard of him either and had forgotten the names of most of the centaurs. He’s gorgeous, though, and has my permission to be in any movie he wishes. I’m guessing it will be a major bonus that centaurs do not wear shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/10 "2006-02-07T17:21:20Z")
Just to make it clear, the sources for these casting appointments is the [BBC](http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2006/02/03/high_noon_feb_03_2006_news_article.shtml) for Imelda Staunton and Evanna Lynch, and [CBBC’s](http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4670000/newsid_4672700/4672798.stm) Newsround (basically, the BBC’s kids section) for the others, both via [Mugglenet.](http://www.mugglenet.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/11 "2006-02-07T17:40:02Z")
> [@Jess](#): > > Natalia Tena, as Tonks. This one’s giving me some trouble. Reading the books, I’ve always ‘seen’ Tonks as [Charlotte Coleman, who played Scarlett on _Four Weddings and a Funeral_](http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorsC/P00003371.HTML). But Coleman is dead, and probably would have been too old for the part anyway. Still, this Natalie Tena (whom I’m completely unfamiliar with) will have a rough go to be Tonks for me. Emma Chambers, who played Hugh Grant’s sister in the remake of Four Weddings and a Funeral with Julia Roberts called Notting Hill (yeah, I know, not a remake) - played the same role as Charlotte Coleman in Four Weddings and a Funeral. Wacky sister. Not as pretty as Charlotte Coleman, and probably too old for the role, but that is who I always think of. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/12 "2006-02-07T20:29:47Z")
It will be interesting to see if the centaurs are all black, or a mix of black and white (though that might be odd given their seemingly-small population), or what. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/13 "2006-02-07T21:46:09Z")
After the makeup and special effects are done with them, I don’t think that the centaurs will recognizably resemble any human race. I think there might be some racial variation among them, but they’ll be centaur races. And quite possibly, to humans, “they all look alike”. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/14 "2006-02-08T00:51:24Z")
All the centaurs will be looking up at the sky anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/15 "2006-02-10T19:40:43Z")
Yet more cast announcements; [Amelia Bones, Young James, Lily, and Wormtail, Zacharias Smith, Dawlish, and random members of Dudley’s gang.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4700000/newsid_4700700/4700716.stm) ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/16 "2006-02-10T20:53:44Z")
> [@Jess](#): > > Natalia Tena, as Tonks. This one’s giving me some trouble. Reading the books, I’ve always ‘seen’ Tonks as [Charlotte Coleman, who played Scarlett on _Four Weddings and a Funeral_](http://www.aveleyman.com/ActorsC/P00003371.HTML). But Coleman is dead, and probably would have been too old for the part anyway. Still, this Natalie Tena (whom I’m completely unfamiliar with) will have a rough go to be Tonks for me. She doesn’t match my mental picture either. Tonks strikes me as being pixie-like, or perhaps impish. I end up seeing a live-action version of Jubilee from the X-Men (but not the actress from X2 or X3) so I guess whoever they picked was bound not to. I also wonder why the picked a blond for young James… ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casting-for-harry-potter-and-the-ootp/343295/17 "2006-02-10T21:13:36Z")
Tonks needs to be a bit goofy–Coleman would have been perfect, phsyically as well as personality. Tonks is in NO way glamorous, so that’s a worry. Maybe this one is a great comedic actor(?). I like the look of Evanna–so much of Luna is in delivery and expression. And that is a really bad dye job.(hopefully, it’s not her hair for the film)