“I had a big fear.” The well-liked actor turned down a role in the Harry Potter universe in a $816M movie
Although it may be unthinkable to many, the actor turned down the option to star in the Harry Potter series.
For many actors, taking part in a major franchise based on a popular and well-loved series is a dream come true. For others, it's an uninviting prospect because of the popularity that participating in such a big project can entail. This one isn't for everyone, and it certainly wasn't for Michael Cera, who could have competed for a role in Fantastic Beasts from Harry Potter universe.
On The Louis Theroux Podcast, Michael Cera talked about how he has avoided franchises in the past, and happened to be at a time when they were looking for stars for Fantastic Beasts. The actor could have been involved in the movies, but turned it down because he didn't want to tie himself to the project for several years at the time.
I don’t think I have a franchise resistance. I think I know what you’re referring to. I think I turned one down once. Yeah, I did. It was a Harry Potter one, Fantastic Beasts. I don’t even know if I was offered, I think I just declined to engage with it because — well, I think it would be like probably a six-year commitment or something. But also, like we were talking about earlier, I did sort of make a conscientious choice to limit my exposure a little bit, or just try and be a little more in control of it.
In addition, the actor wasn’t appealed to by the fame that would come from participating in a film from the Harry Potter universe, which is hugely popular around the world. And the first film in the Fantastic Beasts series was quite a success, as it earned as much as $816 million worldwide (via BoxOfficeMojo).
And I felt like doing, especially little kids’ movies, I had a big fear of doing things that I would get too famous a little bit.
However, Cera confessed that his approach to franchises has now changed somewhat.
{cyta} I think that’s changed a little. I think I’ve outgrown that particular feeling. But I think that’s what that was at that time. If a franchise came along now and seemed interesting, I don’t think on the grounds of it being a franchise I would leave the office, storm out of the office or anything. {/cytat}
It isn’t known what role Michael Cera might have played, but given that it would have been a several-year commitment, it would have been one of the most important in the Fantastic Beasts series, whose main character was Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne.
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