Skip to main content

James Bond and Harry Potter are two action-packed film franchises with roots in popular British novels. Aside from that, they don’t have too much in common – so far. One key actor from the Harry Potter films is now eyeing the role of 007, while another dismissed the prospect of playing the part. Here’s their identities – and what they had to say.

J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books | Alex Wong/Newsmakers

Which ‘Harry Potter’ actor wants to play 007?

Ever since Sean Connery first left the role in the late 1960s, Bond fans often theorize which new actor could take on the role. No one’s stint as 007 lasts forever. As such, fans are eager to learn which actor will play the part next.

According to the Hastings Tribune, Tom Felton is looking to take on the iconic role. Felton is most known for playing Draco Malfoy in the Potter films. He said “I like playing the goodie, but I don’t really look to play a good guy or a bad guy. I like playing people who are different to me – the further away they are from home, the more fun it is to play.” 

He added “But James Bond would be the ultimate dream. The first film I had, when I was seven years old, was James Bond. That was all I had on my mind.“

How does Tom Felton feel about the Harry Potter films?

Tom Felton in Los Angeles, California | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Felton may be looking to the future, but he’s still nostalgic for the Potter films. According to The Herald-Tribune, he said “I look back at some of the fondest memories of my life with huge pride. Still, to this day, it freak[s] me out how much of a thing the films have become. The effect they’ve had on people is crazy.”

He also discussed his relationship with his former co-stars. According to the Globe Gazette, he said “I don’t see the others regularly as we’re always on four different quads of the Earth but we try to see each other when we can. Emma [Watson] isn’t too far away from me in LA and I spoke to Daniel [Radcliffe] on the phone recently. We are like a family but we’re in different parts of the world most of the time.”

Which actor ‘will never be James Bond’?

Speaking of Radcliffe, he’s also discussed Bond. According to Digital Spy, he said “When people meet me in America and hear my English accent, they say, ‘You should play James Bond.’” Interestingly enough, Radcliffe played a Playmobil toy similar to 007 named Rex Dasher in Playmobil: The Movie.

Daniel Radcliffe at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | Jim Spellman/WireImage

Radcliffe continued “I know, and everyone here knows, I will never be James Bond, but playing a Bond-like Playmobil character felt much more likely!” Radcliffe also commented on getting to play a toy. He found the experience rather familiar.

He said “The director sent me a really well-meaning text that said, ‘Congratulations, you’re a toy!’” Radcliffe has already been the basis for numerous Potter toys. He told his agent “’I don’t want to rain on your parade, but I have been a toy a lot!’ It sounds a conceited thing to say, but it’s not. It’s been a weird factor of my life.”

Although they’ve had similar life paths, Felton and Radcliffe have very different attitudes about playing 007. In a way, this is fitting. Potter and Malfoy didn’t see eye to eye either.