Recast the movies!

[hebrides]

I think Christopher Plummer should have replaced Harris - have you seen him in Parnassus? That was Dumbledore all over! Except for the bad-tempered old codger line he had going on. But seriously, he could absolutely do it.

Yes, you're right! Even as I was typing Warner, I knew there was someone else I was forgetting; it was indeed Plummer.

Sadly, though, I doubt Rowling would have let a Canadian play Dumbledore. Zoe Wanamaker, who's technically American but who's kind of an ex-pat and does a better English accent than most Brits, as Madam Hooch? Sure. Verne Troyer as the goblin who opens the vault? OK, 'cause where else are you gonna find someone even shorter than Warwick Davis? But Dumbledore? I don't think she would have gone for it. Perfect, though.

I also guess there's the slight issue of his being in his late 70s -- but he, unlike Harris when he took the role, is still in fantastic shape.

ETA: Plummer on Broadway in King Lear a few years ago...

 

[Gaith]

I do think that Harris hit Dumbledore's personality a ton closer than Gambon did. When I read all the books, I took Dumbledore as a very humble, quiet and compassionate person who only when needed, would bring out the powerful wizard that he was. I think Harris did a superb job at portraying that. Gambon just seems to be a little too quick, loud and sharp for the Dumbledore that I know. I don't doubt that he is a magnificent actor, but he just wasn't Dumbledore for me at all.

Well, Gambon freely admits that he doesn't read the books, he just gets the scripts, filters them through his own experience (I believe that he went to boarding school himself; Rowling certainly didn't), and plays it straight:

"He's got to be a bit scary," Gambon said of his Dumbledore. "All headmasters should be a bit scary, shouldn't they? A top wizard like him would be intimidating. And ultimately, he's protecting Harry. Essentially, I play myself. A little Irish, a little scary. That's what I'm like in real life."

If I were a big fan of the books, I too might be miffed by the difference between the character on page and screen. But since I don't really give a hoot about the books, I like Gambon just fine.

And while Daniel Craig made for a perfect Lord Asriel, I was much more upset by him not threatening to break Lyra's arm than I was by anything Gambon did. :wink: