Top 5 Harry Potter Characters

By Austin Johnson

In honor of episode 40 of our Filmgazm podcast, I’m going to present a list of my favorite Harry Potter characters. That episode focuses on the franchise altogether, but this will be just about the characters. I’m also going to go ahead and say that this list will focus on the input that the characters had in the films, not the books. This is Filmgazm and I want to highlight what the actors did with the characters. My adoration for this franchise started with the films. Well, really it started with Kelley Gutierrez. Kelley is one of my best friends of all time and the biggest Harry Potter fan that I know for sure. He’s got a Deathly Hallows tattoo, and one of those wands that looks far too real. The only one I personally saw in theaters was Half-Blood Prince. I was with some of my cousins who are massive fans so I just went along for the ride. At the time, I thought it was pretty decent, but Half-Blood with no context is a strange watch. I just wasn’t into it as a kid, because my two older brothers weren’t into it. Sadly, they still aren’t into it, but that’s alright because Kelley showed me all of the films in 2014. We watched them over a weekend, and then I bought the books. I’m not going to lie, it took me a couple of years to finish the books, but I’m so glad I found my love for J.K. Rowling’s universe.

5.) Remus Lupin

“It is the quality of one’s convictions that
determines success, not the number of followers.”

Kicking this list off is Remus Lupin who definitely has the least amount of run time out of any of these characters I’m going to talk about. David Thewlis is a big little name. He was recognized by numerous award shows for his work a couple years ago in the FX television series Fargo as the ultimately evil V.M. Varga. That’s one of the best shows I’ve ever watched and Varga might be the most wicked character in all three seasons. Him or Lorne Malvo, I don’t know. Remus Lupin however, is an absolutely great teacher and friend to have on your side. He’s heavily involved in Prisoner of Azkaban as the professor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. That’s definitely my favorite film of the series and Lupin plays a big part in that. He really teaches Harry and the other students what to do in real life scenarios, but he has this secret/curse that is damn near life threatening. Remus Lupin is the kind of professor that I could see myself looking up to.

4.) Arthur Weasley

“Now, Harry you must know all about Muggles.
Tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?”

Quite possibly the most stand up guy in the entire wizarding world, Arthur Weasley comes in at number four. Arthur is played by Mark Williams, the least known name on this list by far. If these five actors were in a room, Mark would look extremely out of place. I remember first seeing him act alongside Hugh Laurie as Horace to Hugh’s Jasper in 101 Dalmatians from 1996. I wasn’t aware of Williams or the Weasleys as a young kid, but he played a really funny Horace. Arthur is a father of six and one of the most courageous people fighting for equality in the wizarding world. Harry obviously lost his parents at a very young age and there are plenty of folks who serve as guardians to Harry but Arthur really tries to implement him into his family. He may not have the money to give his kids what they want, but he genuinely respects everyone and wants to listen. That’s really what being a leader and father is all about. Arthur Weasley for president 2020!

3.) Severus Snape

“I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death.”

Rest In Peace, Alan Rickman. You were truly a wonderful performer that we all miss dearly. Alan Rickman was an Englishman who mastered the art of remaining monotone for incredible amounts of time and then exploding in the right moments. Rickman never got an Oscar nomination, but he was nominated multiple times at the BAFTAs and got plenty of recognition for his work in the TV Movie, Rasputin. There is no other man who could’ve taken on the role of Professor Severus Snape. His stature and features match exactly what J.K. had been writing about for years. Severus has the highest usage rate out of all five of these characters. He’s on the screen a shit ton and constantly adds something to the story. Whether it be his involvement in trying to stop Professor Quirrell in Sorcerer’s Stone or making a commitment to protect Malfoy in Half-Blood Prince. He’s essentially a double agent, which I see as the most interesting individual storyline of the entire franchise. With all this rehashing and sequel making going on… why not have a Snape prequel film?

2.) Lord Voldemort

“I’m going to kill you, Harry Potter. After tonight, no one will ever again question my power. After tonight if they speak of you, they’ll speak only of how you begged for death. And how I being a merciful Lord… obliged.”

I didn’t watch or read Harry Potter as a kid, so Voldemort never really frightened me. Instead, I’ve had an unbiased lens while watching him because I now know how powerful of a performer Ralph Fiennes is. The man has two Oscar nominations for his work in Schindler's List and The English Patient. How he didn’t receive a nomination for his efforts in The Grand Budapest Hotel is fucking beyond me. I also think his role in A Bigger Splash from 2015 deserves very high praise. Fiennes can do anything, which is so fitting for Voldemort as a character. I love the usage of Voldemort in the series. He doesn’t really come around until the end of Goblet of Fire when he tells Pettigrew to kill Cedric Diggory aka Robert the smoothest dude alive Pattinson and then takes full form as the most evil wizard alive. Less is more when it comes to monsters, and that’s really what Voldemort is. That scene in Order of the Phoenix when Dumbledore and Voldemort go head to head is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever seen a big time franchise put on the screen. We have the unquestioned antagonist going against the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It’s like Magic vs Bird, only with fucking wands.

1.) Sirius Black

“If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good
look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals."

Sirius Black makes me cry every time he embraces Harry at the end of Azkaban. Legendary British actor, Gary Oldman plays my favorite character of the entire franchise. Oldman got a Best Actor nomination at the 84th Academy Awards for his work in the criminally underrated Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. George fucking Smiley! Oldman also got a nomination a couple years ago for playing Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. He won in fine fashion amongst some great performers in Daniel Day-Lewis, Daniel Kaluuya, Timothee Chalamet, and Denzel Washington. Well done, Sir Oldman. Obviously, he brings a veteran presence to the screen in this franchise, but not once is he phoning it in. He’s really going for it as Sirius Black, Harry Potter’s godfather. My favorite book and film is Prisoner of Azkaban, so I’ve watched it the most. That scene in the Shrieking Shack when Severus shows up to take Sirius in, but Remus is there to explain, but then Harry works some magic on Severus! Fucking Pettigrew! And then Remus turns into a werewolf and Sirius into his animagus dog form. It’s definitely my favorite scene from the series, because everything is executed extremely well and the information we are receiving is absolutely massive for the entire wizarding world. Sirius is so necessary for Harry’s path to greatness as a wizard. There’s nothing more valiant than Black’s last stand against Voldemort, Bellatrix, and company at the end of Order of the Phoenix. He was best friends with his dad and that love just transferred to Harry. He gave him that bad ass invisibility cloak for his first Christmas at Hogwarts. That’s true love. Sirius Black is a character I need by my side in battle and he’s played brilliantly by one of the greatest actors of our time.