To think the acting in Harry Potter is just awful?

[LookingForAlaskas]

Not watched the films in ages and the third one was on tonight.

It honestly felt like some parts were like a drama class in school. Very cringe.

I love the Harry Potter films, but I agree the child actors were pretty poor. The twins make my toes curl they are so atrocious. Daniel Radcliffe improved a bit over time, but he and Emma Watson were just. Well. not good. Always sounded like they were reading lines. Nothing natural at all.
There have been so many excellent child actors over the years. Freddie Highmore springs to mind. I think he would might been a bit young at the time for HP, but he would have been great.

Also child actors in the Uk are limited how long they can work each day by law so may not have time to do loads of re-takes.

How many US actors who were successful as children went on to have great adult careers and didn’t go off the rails (because they are over-worked and turn to booze/pills) I can only think of Jodie Foster.

Yes completely agree. Never understood the hype about any of the films. Emma Watson was particularly bad.

When I teach creative writing modules, I use HP as what not to do.
Do you teach children's fiction writing? Because the Harry Potter books are actually for children, and (evidenced by their incredible success) children love them. I would guess that the fact that the sentence structures are predictable and easy to understand, and the vocabulary is commonly used and so on makes reading the stories much more engaging for children. See also Enid Blyton.

Are you the mother of the Weasley twins, Ghostontoast?

Only kidding. However, there is no need for you to be an apologist for the child actors in those films. If I’m paying £25 to take children to the cinema, damn right I will critique the acting if I so choose.

Daniel Radcliffe’s mother is a casting agent. Just fancy that!

Forget the child actors. It's the direction and adult performances that are the real embarrassment.

The scene where Sirius and Lupin explain how it was actually Pettigrew, and after a LOT of convincing, Harry finally accepts it was the truth?

Reduced to a shouty, overacted mess, that's all over in 30 seconds. After which Harry is now keen to live with the shouty man who, whilst innocent, still seems fucking deranged.

Really poor. But then i was never bothered by the films, and when it comes to the Cursed Child... don't get me started. (and ESPECIALLY don't get me started with 'it's a play, it's supposed to be watched not read' - I'm afraid that just tells me you have no critical faculties whatsoever if a few whizzbangs are enough to divert you from colossally bad plotting).

I’ve gotten stick for these opinions before...

Harry is wooden.
Hermione is also wooden.
Ron is the worst and acts using his mouth only. I also hate the way his character is written - the others are a bit posh and he’s like a caricature of a not-posh Brit.

Mind you, I’m not a fan of the books either.

When I teach creative writing modules, I use HP as what not to do then you must be a joyless fucker because those books are loved by millions.

I agree the acting isn't amazing in the films but our family have watches them all 10 x over and love them, so we, along with many others, just don't care.

Being a terrible actor didnt hold dick van dyke and Mary Poppins back

I can't watch the first few films, found Cedric's father's reaction to his death in the 4th movie harrowing, think I skipped films 5 and 6, but really enjoy the last two films (except the scene where they are grown up at the end). I love the soundtrack from the last film. Definitely agree the adults are hamming it up at times... Also agree that Ginnie and Hermione and some of the other are ruined by the script as well as the acting.

In contrast, I find the first three books bearable but don't enjoy 4 to 7. The first books are good for what they are - children's books with an exciting story - and I think we're all published before Harry Potter became a thing? (I know by the time I heard of the books, three were already released). After that, her story seems to have run away with her and, once she was successful, her editor doesn't seem to have reigned her in. She's not the only author that has happy to though - I think exactly the same about GRR Martin and the Game of Throne series which was supposed to be a trilogy and now seems too big to be finished (at least J K Rowling dragged everything together to an end even with plot holes). Agree with a pp that I would rate Dianna Wynne Jones more highly personally.

It is quite funny that a creative writing class uses one of the most successful series of books ever, that has made the author millions, as an example of what not to do! Surely not a class someone aspiring to make a living from writing would take?

A more interesting class might be to look at how an author has taken all the things you are not supposed to do and managed to turn them into one of the most successful series ever. Is it down to story? The age group the first books were pitched at? Luck? A bit of all those?

How many US actors who were successful as children went on to have great adult careers and didn’t go off the rails

I remember seeing interviews with EW, RG and DR where they discussed this, and they said they were very much treated like children on set, told off by the crew if they misbehaved, and expected to behave themselves. They weren’t pandered to or treated like “stars” at all, just like normal children. They attributed the fact that none of the child cast went off the rails to this.

found Cedric's father's reaction to his death in the 4th movie harrowing

me too, and then the heartwrenching scene before the start of Deathly Hallows part one movie where Hermione removes her very existence from her parents memory, just makes me sob - genius of a director, so underdone, sets the darker mood for the last 2 movies.

Cedric's father, Jeff Rawls (?) is a decent actor. Seen him in a few comedy things as a "character actor" but never seen him do something so emotional. It was excellent.

Also child actors in the Uk are limited how long they can work each day by law so may not have time to do loads of re-takes.

How many US actors who were successful as children went on to have great adult careers and didn’t go off the rails (because they are over-worked and turn to booze/pills) I can only think of Jodie Foster.

US child actors are subject to very similar child labour laws to UK child actors, including how long they can be on set daily, and how many of those hours must be spent resting or engaged in education.

And most child actors in both countries don't go on to have adult acting careers, either because they try and fail as they were cast for something that wasn't acting talent or can't get past being perceived as as the cute, goofy kid from Big Hit Film, or because they simply don't want a career in acting in adulthood.

Yeh, Daniel Radcliffe didn’t get the part based on his acting though did he! So he had to learn as he went along, he’s quite good by film 5 😂

Derek Jacoby should have been Dumbledore replacement.

All these absurd stories I hear about how the kids got cast. Look who their parent are and its perfectly obvious. Shameless nepotism.

The casting was incredibly disappointing for me as a big fan of the books. Daniel Radcliffe was so far from how I pictured HP.
Richard Harris was, however, my perfect Dumbledore. Selfishly wish he’d had more time on earth to play the role just for me.

At the end of the day, sure, it's down to luck, good marketing, and being in the right place at the right time.

To the person calling me a joyless fucker (that you, Mrs Radcliffe?) You must have missed the bit where I mentioned I'm currently listening to PoA on Audible, having read it a million times, how I watched OOTP for the millionth time on Saturday and how I think JK Rowling is an inspired storyteller who is not to blame for the at times atrocious writing and plotting. But feel free to continue with the personal attacks. (nor do I write the syllabus where I teach)

I watched the PS the other day and i though the acting was terrible, really cringey. I got into to work the next day and mentioned it, jesus, i though i was going to get strung up!

I also got, "But they are just children", and? there are some cracking child actors out there.

PoA is awful. So so so bad.

That scene on the train with the dementors and Lily Potters 'Harrrrryyyyyy' cringeworthy.

As a pp said, the shouty weird angled Lupin, Black and Pettigrew scene. Its unwatchable.

Bonnie Wright is horrendous. Honestly she ruined Ginny for me.. why would anyone save her?

Gets much better as the films go on. The 3 children were awful in the first 2 films in particular.

Yeah Harry himself is the worst actor of the lot. But I still watch and love it