Ralph Fiennes Almost Turned Down Voldemort (And We’re Glad He Didn’t)

It’s impossible to imagine anyone other than Ralph Fiennes portraying Voldemort in the Harry Potter films, but the Oscar-nominated thespian revealed he initially wanted to turn the part down. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Fiennes recalled his first reaction to the offer to play Voldemort. While he knew Harry Potter was a massively popular franchise across multiple mediums, he felt that the property’s fantasy elements wouldn’t be the best fit for him as an actor. Fiennes shared that he didn’t change his mind until he talked about it with his sister, whose enthusiastic response made him reconsider the prospect of bringing the infamous villain to life.

“I hadn’t seen the films in order to dislike them, I just hadn’t seen them and I hadn’t read the books,” Fiennes said, explaining his relationship to the franchise prior to being cast. “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. I was resistant, until I told my sister Martha that I’ve been asked to play this Voldemort person. She said, ‘Voldemort, you’ve been asked to play Voldemort? You have to do it! Ralph you don’t realize, you don’t realize.’”

Fiennes debuted as Voldemort in 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which was his first of four appearances as the character. Though the mainline Harry Potter film series concluded in 2011 with The Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Fiennes would be open to reprising his iconic role in a future project if an opportunity presented itself.

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Warner Bros. is looking to revitalize the Harry Potter franchise by adapting J.K. Rowling’s novels into a television series. The studio is in the process of putting together the show’s cast, but it’s yet to find the next Voldemort. Rumors have suggested Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy could be in the running for the role, which is something Fiennes would be in favor of.

The Harry Potter movies boasted very impressive ensembles; Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson did a tremendous job as the leads, but the filmmakers also struck gold when casting the adult roles. Fiennes proved to be the perfect fit for Voldemort. It’s easy to see why he was one of the top choices for the part; Fiennes was able to chillingly portray pure evil, crafting one of the most memorable villains in recent memory. Injecting his performance with the right amount of gravitas, Fiennes elevated the role in ways another actor might not have. Given Voldemort’s importance in the overall Harry Potter story, it would have been a shame if the cinematic adaptation was a misfire. Moviegoers are fortunate Fiennes’ sister convinced him to join the franchise.

As great as it would be to see Fiennes play Voldemort again, that seems unlikely to happen. The upcoming TV show will surely want to recast all of the significant roles in an effort to distance itself from the film series. Whoever signs on to portray the villain will have a tall task ahead of them, as their performance will probably be constantly compared to Fiennes’ interpretation, which left an enduring legacy on pop culture.