Harry Potter

star Jason Isaacs recalls getting pushback on his Lucius Malfoy accent before Daniel Radcliffe helped to save it. Serving as an adaptation of the J.K. Rowling book series, Warner Bros.’ Wizarding World franchise got its start in 2001 with director Chris Columbus’ take on The Sorcerer’s Stone introducing Radcliffe as Harry Potter. Isaacs made his debut as the Malfoy family patriarch in 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, returning in most of the sequels that followed, sporting a unique appearance and speaking in a very posh-sounding accent.

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Isaacs recalls how his take on Lucius came about. After revealing that he played a large role in crafting Lucius’ appearance, including campaigning for a long blonde wig and a cloak, Isaacs explained that Columbus wasn’t sold on the accent he chose for the character. One praiseworthy comment from Radcliffe, however, helped to change the director’s mind, though Isaacs does note that he was still told to tone it down on more than one occasion. Check out Isaacs’ explanation below:

“I came up with a voice, I thought the most irritating voice I could think of, that made you just hear a syllable and want to punch him. I tried it out in the first rehearsal and Chris Columbus went, ‘Okay, Jason, look [. . .] I’m American, but has there ever been anybody in the world in England or anywhere that ever spoke like that?’ I said, ‘No, but it’s a film about wizards, after all.’ And he said, ‘I don’t know.’

“And Daniel, God bless him, said, ‘I think it’s kind of cool, actually. I think people will do that on playgrounds. Chris went, ‘Alright, let’s go with that.’ And every take we did after that for the next couple of films, couple of years, Chris would come up and go, ‘Fantastic. We have it, it’s wonderful. Let’s do one more, [but] could you pull back on the accent like 80, 90%?”

What This Means For Lucius Malfoy In Harry Potter

The Cast Was Crucial To The Franchise’s Success

Lucius may not be the primary antagonist in any Harry Potter movie, but he remains a key figure in the franchise, representing the ways in which Voldemort’s evil has permeated members of the upper class. Isaacs story speaks to just how important actors are in not just conveying characters’ emotions, but in crafting their entire on-screen presence. Without Isaacs’ input, Lucius may not have had a blonde wig, and he may also have sounded relatively ordinary, which would have taken away from his threatening presence.

Evidently, making movies is a collaborative process, and one that requires trust between a director and the actors. In this case, Columbus, despite perhaps wanting a little less on the accent, trusted Isaacs’ vision for the character. He similarly trusted Radcliffe’s opinion about young people’s take on Isaacs’ performance. This was obviously the right choice, as the Harry Potter cast is widely celebrated across the board for their takes on these characters, in addition to the eight movies themselves being widely successful and grossing over $7 billion worldwide in total.

Our Take On Jason Isaacs’ Lucius In Harry Potter

The TV Show Has A Big Challenge Ahead Of It

With the Harry Potter TV show in the works, Isaacs’ story highlights just how challenging it will be for new actors to take on these iconic characters. While the books certainly flesh out these characters in great detail, providing the groundwork, an actor will generally always put their own unique spin on the figure they are portraying. The hard part for the new cast will be getting audiences on board with new takes on these characters, striking a balance between what has come before and the show’s own creative vision.

Audiences have seemingly seen the last of Isaacs as Lucius, and he leaves big shoes to fill. It will be interesting to see whether the next take on Lucius also has long blonde hair and whether the actor playing him also bets on a risky accent. In any case, it’s clear that Isaacs certainly put his own stamp on his Harry Potter character.

Source: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

Harry Potter

Created by

J.K. Rowling

First Film

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

First TV Show

Harry Potter

Cast

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Richard Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Enoch, Harry Melling, Gary Oldman, Robert Pattinson, Warwick Davis, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, David Bradley, David Thewlis, Katie Leung, Jason Isaacs, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jamie Campbell Bower, Timothy Spall, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Mads Mikkelsen

TV Show(s)

Harry Potter

<ʙuттon type="ʙuттon" class="show-more-new icon i-chevron-down-solid">Expand

$85 at Amazon

See at Target

See at Walmart