Who Would Star In An Americanized 'Harry Potter'?

When word came that the Harry Potter books would be turned into a series of films, everyone cheered "Hooray for Hogwarts in Hollywood," but author J.K. Rowling had a few stipulations that meant the geographical Hollywood crowd wouldn't be part of the cast: all the actors, she said, needed to be British. This famously meant the late Robin Williams, who lobbied for a role, was turned down. But it also meant the actors playing Harry Potter characters were some of the best thespians from the UK. And the young actor playing Harry Potter (at the time a relatively unknown Daniel Radcliffe) was a real British boy, not a cute American kid trained to speak with an English accent.

Some Harry Potter readers engage in endless discussions about fan theories related mainly to the books, while others mull over questions about the films, such as whether on-screen Dumbledore was too mean, the injustice of eliminating S.P.E.W. from the plots, and the total absence of Charlie Weasley.

They also offer alternative casting choices. With the original film series now over, it doesn't feel too sacrilegious to ponder what a hypothetical American Harry Potter cast might look like. The actors on this list wouldn't be able to attend Hogwarts, and even with a fake British accent they probably couldn't replace the actors fans have come to know and love, but it doesn't hurt to wonder how they'd do at wielding a wand, playing Quidditch, or saving the Wizarding World from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.