What Harry Potter's Wormtail Actor Really Thinks About the Fandom
Has the Wizarding World become a new religion?
The cold autumn school season is here, and that means re-reading the Harry Potter books, re-watching the Wizarding World movie series, and seeing more and more Hogwarts House-themed scarves and hoodies here and there.
The Harry Potter phenomenon is not new (the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, was published in 1997), but it isn't showing any signs of decline. The fandom is huge, spanning every corner of the world and only growing with the years.
Passion Bordering On Worship
Harry Potter fans are so numerous and passionate that Timothy Spall, who played Peter Pettigrew, a.k.a. Wormtail, in five installments of the cinematic franchise, compared it to a kind of religious movement.
'Harry Potter is still such a big deal. It's edging towards becoming a bit of a religion. It's bizarre,' the actor told Variety last week while talking about his new and old projects.
Seeing how the actor has been a part of the Harry Potter craze for almost 20 years (since his debut in Prisoner of Azkaban), has attended many fan events, and has probably had many interactions with dedicated viewers, he knows what he is talking about. The cult following is hard to deny.
Well-Deserved Popularity
It is definitely no coincidence that the Bible is the only book to have sold more copies than Harry Potter in the last quarter century. As for the Wizarding World franchise, it currently ranks fourth after the MCU, Spider-Man, and Star Wars. And it will only get bigger with the new Warner Bros. Discovery TV show currently in development.
Spall is sure that such an incredible success came about as a result of teamwork and true care for the audience.
'It's great storytelling, but it was also beautifully made. One day, I wandered into a studio, and there was someone [manually] putting leaves on a tree, one by one. That's dedication. They were doing that for the audience,' he said. 'We have to do our best to make sure they are getting their value for their money.'
Well, that is undoubtedly heartwarming to hear. And it feels like a good reason to binge on the franchise once again. Looks like I think I'm going to go and do exactly that.
Source: Variety.