“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” introduced a number of cast changes which have never been explained. Alfonso Cuarón may have had a different vision for some of the characters but it could also be that the actors who originated certain roles were not available, such as Sir Richard Harris, who regrettably passed away before he could continue on as Dumbledore. Derek Deadman, who originated the role of Tom, the landlord of the Leaky Cauldron, stopped acting soon after that movie was produced. He died in 2014. Fans were disappointed when Zoë Wanamaker did not reprise her role as Madam Hooch after the first movie but she was highly critical of the way the cast was treated and walked away from the role.
Maybe one of the most disappointing new cast introductions was that of Lee Ingleby as Stan Shunpike. The character while minor in the books was ignored in later movies. Many fans loved Ingleby’s performance and wanted to see more of him. He has not lacked for work ever since, so fans have had plenty of opportunities to see him in non-Potter roles. You may not realize this but Lee played Midshipman Hollum in “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the Sea”. That was a rather gloomy role.
Another odd casting change was the apparent demotion of Warwick Davis’ character from Professor Flitwick to “Wizard”. The character was radically changed from the original concept in the first two films. Davis appeared in all the Harry Potter movies but Filius Flitwick did not appear in the 7th film.
| Daniel Radcliffe | Harry Potter |
| Rupert Grint | Ron Weasley |
| Emma Watson | Hermione Granger |
| Michael Gambon | Professor Albus Dumbledore |
| Maggie Smith | Professor Minerva McGonagall |
| Alan Rickman | Professor Severus Snape |
| David Thewlis | Professor Remus Lupin |
| Robbie Coltrane | Professor Rubeus Hagrid |
| David Bradley | Argus Filch |
| Mark Williams | Mr. Arthur Weasley |
| Julie Walters | Mrs. Molly Weasley |
| Oliver Phelps | George Weasley |
| James Phelps | Fred Weasley |
| Chris Rankin | Percy Weasley |
| Bonnie Wright | Ginny Weasley |
| Richard Griffiths | Uncle Vernon |
| Pam Ferris | Aunt Marge |
| Fiona Shaw | Aunt Petunia |
| Harry Melling | Dudley Dursley |
| Adrian Rawlins | James Potter |
| Geraldine Somerville | Lily Potter |
| Lee Ingleby | Stan Shunpike |
| Lenny Henry | Shrunken Head |
| Jimmy Gardner | Ernie the Bus Driver |
| Gary Oldman | Sirius Black |
| Jim Tavaré | Tom the Innkeeper |
| Robert Hardy | Cornelius Fudge |
| Abby Ford | Young Witch Maid |
| Devon Murray | Seamus Finnegan |
| Warwick Davis | Wizard |
| Matthew Lewis | Neville Longbottom |
| Sitara Shah | Parvati Patel |
| Jennifer Smith | Lavender Brown |
| Tom Felton | Draco Malfoy |
| Bronson Webb | Slytherin Boy |
| Josh Herdman | Gregory Goyle |
| Genevieve Gaunt | Pansy Parkinson |
| Kandice Morris | Girl 1 |
| Alfie Enoch | Dean Thomas (as Alfred Enoch) |
| Dawn French | Fat Lady in Painting |
| Annalisa Bugliani | Mother in Portrait |
| Tess Bu Cuarón | Baby in Portrait |
| Violet Columbus | Girl With Flowers |
| Paul Whitehouse | Sir Cadogan |
| Emma Thompson | Professor Sybil Trelawney |
| Ekow Quartey | Boy 1 |
| Rick Sahota | Boy 2 (as Ricky Sahota) |
| Jamie Waylett | Vincent Crabbe |
| Sharon Sandhu | Girl 2 |
| Danielle Tabor | Angelina Johnson |
| Julie Christie | Madame Rosmerta |
| Freddie Davies | Old Man in Portrait (as Freddie Davis) |
| Peter Best | The Executioner |
| Timothy Spall | Peter Pettigrew |
| Ian Brown | Man in the Leaky Cauldron reading book (uncredited) |
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