The Hagrid Line That Would Have Changed The Harry Potter Movies
One of the most beloved characters in the Harry Potter series might not be such a friendly giant after all.
Considering that J.K. Rowling's original series of novels spanned thousands of pages, it was always going to an extraordinarily difficult task to adapt the Harry Potter novels into a film series, but ultimately, with the full strength of Warner Bros. behind them, a group of talented British directors assembled established actors and newcomers alike to create the magical, beloved Harry Potter movies. Naturally, some of the smaller moments from the books didn't end up making it into the movies... and for some of those tiny moments, that might be for the best.
If you're a huge Harry Potter fan, you're definitely familiar with Rubeus Hagrid (played in the films by Robbie Coltrane), the lovable Hogwarts groundskeeper who befriends Harry before he even arrives at school. A sort of father figure to Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hagrid is revealed as a half-giant in the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which immediately casts a pall over his reputation, despite the fact that, unlike other giants, Hagrid is as gentle as can be.
However, one of Hagrid's throwaway lines in the fourth novel raises some serious questions about his core beliefs. If you haven't read the Harry Potter books, here's the one Hagrid line that could have changed the films in a big way.
Hagrid expresses some disturbing beliefs in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
If you've read the books, you probably remember that Hagrid ends up butting heads with two foreign headmasters from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, the international wizarding schools that compete against Hogwarts in the Triwizard Tournament. After Igor Karkaroff (played in the movies by Predrag Bjelac) insults Hogwarts' headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), Hagrid physically assaults him. He also finds himself at odds with Beauxbatons headmistress Madame Maxime (Frances de la Tour) when he confronts her about also being half giant; though he's right, Maxime is insulted, making Hagrid angry.
In the aftermath of these two incidents, Hagrid, discussing the Triwizard Tournament with Harry, says something... pretty upsetting. "The less you lot 'ave ter do with these foreigners, the happier yeh'll be," Hagrid tells Harry, showing an unexpectedly bigoted side. "Yeh can' trust any of 'em."
This belief definitely doesn't seem compatible with Hagrid's sweet, accepting attitude, but it's particularly jarring when you consider the bigotry of the Wizarding World. Throughout the series, all of the villains express bigoted views about anyone who's not a "pureblood" wizard, meaning any magical person with non-magical blood, whether they're a "half-blood" or a "Muggleborn." (There's even a slur for Muggleborns: "Mudbloods.") Hagrid, as one of the good guys, would never discriminate against a wizard over their blood or birth status, but after meeting a few bad apples, he decides to scorch the entire orchard where foreign wizards are concerned.
This is Hagrid's only comment that skews towards bigotry, but it's still pretty weird that this loving character would say something so harsh. The Harry Potter films, which do not include this moment, are available to rent or buy on all major streaming platforms.