Jason Isaacs, the actor who played Lucius Malfoy in the original Harry Potter movie franchise, made some recent comments about making the movies and how much J.K. Rowling had to do with it. In a podcast appearance, he said the Harry Potter cast had the freedom to improvise and that he didn’t even meet the author until years after he took on the role.

Jason Isaacs appeared on the Dinner’s on Me podcast with Jesse Tyler Ferguson (via Entertainment Weekly), and the two men spoke about a variety of topics, including Isaacs’ recent appearance on White Lotus and his appearance in the Harry Potter franchise. Isaacs starred in five of the eight films, with his first appearance coming in the second movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Lucius was the father of Draco Malfoy, one of Harry Potter’s main antagonists early in the franchise.

That first movie, directed by Chris Columbus, was an interesting experience for Isaacs, who said that surprisingly had the freedom to improvise:

“My very first day, I was improvising lines. My very first sH๏τ was walking out of Dumbledore’s office from the end of Chamber of Secrets, and where he just dismissed me and I leave, and I went, ‘I don’t know, would this guy leave without saying something?’

Harry Potter’s there, [and Lucius] is a very proud, arrogant man. Surely, he’d say something trying to get status back in, and so we’ll try something. And I made up a line, and Daniel made up a line back. And I thought, ‘We’re allowed to make s— up in Harry Potter.'”

Isaacs also touched on J. K. Rowling, the Harry Potter author who has alienated many of her fans thanks to her polarizing views on human rights. However, according to Isaacs, she had very little to do with the making of the movies:

“Jo [J.K. Rowling] recognized they were films and not books, and it’s a different medium. She wasn’t on set. I didn’t meet her for years.”

What This Means For Harry Potter Franchise

Jason Isaacs Insinuates J.K. Rowling Has Little To Do With The Adaptations

With the new Harry Potter television series coming to HBO Max, it has fans split. Many people want to know what the TV series will look like and how it might better adapt the books’ stories, which saw a lot left out of the movies. However, others remain concerned about Rowling’s connection to the series and how that might affect its production. If Isaacs comments say anything, it is that Rowling mostly stepped aside in the movies and allowed the films to tell the stories without much interference.

Isaacs comments also show how Chris Columbus got the franchise rolling and made the kids more comfortable, and seeing a young teenage Daniel Radcliffe improvising with Jason Isaacs went a long way into making the franchise so special. That people remain pᴀssionate about Harry Potter all these years later shows how important it was for an entire generation of fans, and how the upcoming HBO Max series will likely find its audience, with or without Rowling’s controversy.

Our Take On Jason Isaac’s Comments About Harry Potter

It is almost ᴀssured that Harry Potter will be an enormous success on HBO Max when the series comes out. Much of this comes from a mix of the books’ fans and the people who grew up watching the original movies. Jason Isaacs’ comments make it sound like the entire making of the movies was a great time for the cast, and if the HBO Max series develops the same experience, there is a great chance that the movies’ success will translate well to the small screen.