The director of Harry Potter, Chris Columbus reveals the real reason he passed over Robin Williams as Remus Lupin in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
The director spoke to GamesRadar this Thursday and was quoted saying, "I had a conversation with Robin Williams, who wanted to play Lupin.”
“It was very difficult for me to say, ‘It’s all British. There’s nothing I can do.’"
For those unversed, Chris directed both the first and second instalment of films in the Harry Potter franchise, whereas Mexican film director Alfonso Cuarón took over afterwards.
In 2016 it was also revealed that Williams was even turned down for the role of Hagrid.
Casting director Janet Hirshenson shared this news with U.K.'s HuffPost at the time.
There he admitted, "Robin had called [Chris Columbus] because he really wanted to be in the movie, but it was a British-only edict, and once he said no to Robin, he wasn’t going to say yes to anybody else. It couldn’t be."
Later on, the role was awarded to Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane.
Even Williams, who passed away back in 2014, at the age of 43 told the New York Post that he lobbied hard for the 2001 role in Harry Potter.
"There were a couple of parts I would have wanted to play, but there was a ban on American actors,” he admitted at the time.
But “Maybe one day. Say if [Harry] goes to Yale and becomes president."