Ralph Fiennes Didn’t Take ‘Harry Potter’ Seriously Until His Sister Convinced Him
In terms of iconic villains in books and movies, not many can compare to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named from Harry Potter. Yet the actor who played Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes, initially didn’t take his Harry Potter role seriously. He had never read the books, nor did he see the early movies until the director of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire tabbed Fiennes for the villainous role.
The actor knew of the bestselling books but didn’t know a thing about the role he was going to play. Luckily for Muggles everywhere, Fiennes’ sister intervened.
Ralph Fiennes’ sister clued him in on the significance of playing Lord Voldemort
In an interview with GQ, the British thespian said he “had no sense” about who Lord Voldemort was or his importance to Harry Potter’s destiny. “I wasn’t that aware when it was first proposed to me.”
His sister Martha Fiennes is a movie director in her own right and directed Ralph in a starring role in Onegin. She has three sons, all of whom adore Harry Potter.
She had a talk with her older brother about the role that Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire director Mike Newell was asking Ralph to play. Newell was adamant about Fiennes playing the role, according to Den of Geek.
“It was only when my sister, who has children, said, ‘Don’t you realize what they’re asking you to do is extraordinary?’ And I saw. Then I took it a bit more seriously,” Ralph said.
He was so touched by his nephews’ influence that 11-year-old Hero Fiennes Tiffin (one of Martha’s boys) got to play Tom Riddle (young Voldemort) in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Ralph Fiennes ended up embracing his ‘Harry Potter’ role
In the end, Fiennes said he enjoyed portraying one of the biggest baddies in movie history. One could argue his chilling portrayal of brutal Nazi concentration camp commandant Amon Göth in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List jumpstarted his penchant for dark roles.
Fiennes took such a liking to the role that he stated outright he didn’t want anyone else to play Voldemort. With de-aging technology getting better and better, Fiennes could end up playing a younger version of himself in any potential sequels or prequels in the franchise.
How Voldemort stacks up against the actor’s other iconic roles
Fiennes felt his take on a modern-day Coriolanus, which he also directed, was exciting and bold as someone who is willing to die for his country. The actor also had a happy experience with 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, in which he plays an adventure-loving concierge in the midst of a huge ensemble cast that reads like a who’s who of Hollywood A-listers.
What’s next for Ralph Fiennes?
He’s playing another dark role in The Menu starring opposite Anya Taylor-Joy. He’ll also star alongside fellow Brits in the adventure tale The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar with Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role.
Hopefully, Fiennes plays his upcoming roles with the same gravitas as Voldemort, even if those movies don’t quite have the same popularity as the boy wizard.
