The Untold Truth Of Tom Felton
As Tom Felton brought to life one of the most iconic antagonists of all time, an entire generation grew up alongside him. Harry Potter nemesis Draco Malfoy is an entertaining character who's made unforgettable by Felton's performance. If that was Felton's only role, his career would still be remarkable, but that wasn't even the beginning for him. Felton starred in his first feature film at just 10 years old, and before he joined "Harry Potter," he'd already worked with some of the best actors in the business.
Since the "Harry Potter" movies ended, Felton's creative pace has only increased. He's been in more than a dozen movies and appeared in TV shows like "Murder in the First," "The Flash," and "Origin." Not only that, Felton has also found time to sharpen his musical abilities and self-release a couple album's worth of original music. Through it all he says that "[Fame] has never been something but a part" of his life. He spends his free time walking his dog or hanging out with the same friends he's been talking to since before "Harry Potter."
The world fell in love with Tom Felton more than 20 years ago. This is his untold truth.
He landed his first film role at age 10
By the time he landed on the set of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," Tom Felton had already worked in feature films alongside some pretty big names in the acting world. His first feature film, "The Borrowers," debuted in 1997 when Felton was just 10 years old. The film follows the story of a family of 4-inch tall people secretly living in the walls of a home that a real estate developer, played by John Goodman, wants to destroy. "The Borrowers" also stars Mark Williams and Jim Broadbent, both of whom would see Felton again when they took roles as Mr. Weasley and Professor Slughorn in the "Harry Potter" franchise.
Just two years later, Felton's second feature film was released by 20th Century Fox. "Anna and the King" stars Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-fat in a story inspired by the diaries of the British writer Anna Leonowens. The film wasn't exactly a critical darling, despite earning Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. It gave a major boost to the young Felton's career, and made him a more seasoned actor by the time he took on the role of Draco Malfoy.
He originally auditioned for the roles of Harry and Ron
Could anyone imagine a world in which Daniel Radcliffe didn't take on the iconic role of Harry Potter? In an alternate reality somewhere, that's exactly what happened. When Tom Felton auditioned for the cast of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," he initially read for the lead role. When that didn't work out, he read for the part of Ron Weasley before he finally ended up being cast as the sneering Draco Malfoy.
Some actors might be disappointed to have missed out on a larger role, but Felton wasn't upset in the slightest. "I'm very grateful I am in the film at all," Felton told MTV News back in 2011, "but even more grateful that I got the character of Draco." He explained how his life would have been "very different" if he'd been forced to deal with "the behind-the-scenes pressure [Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint] have dealt with over the last decade." Besides, heroes are well and good, but who doesn't love the chance to play a villain every once in a while?
He's kept some Harry Potter memorabilia
Every "Harry Potter" fan either owns, or has at least considered buying, their own wand. It turns out that Tom Felton and his costars have to order theirs from the same fan shops as the rest of the world. Speaking with Vulture, Felton explained that all the cast members wanted to keep their wands from the films, but "those are on lock down." His other wish list item was Draco's suit from the final few films, but that didn't pan out for him either.
Luckily, Felton didn't walk away from the set entirely empty-handed. "I did manage to get a ring, a Slytherin ring," he said, "and a tie pin." It's a shame the actor couldn't nab more memorabilia, but it's hardly surprising considering how coveted items from the "Harry Potter" universe are. Felton speculated that most of the film's props would eventually end up in a museum, adding that such a home "is probably a better place than on my bedroom wall."
He's barely seen the Harry Potter films
It's not uncommon for artists to avoid revisiting their old work, but when it comes to the "Harry Potter" movies, Tom Felton had taken avoidance to a whole new level. He told People in 2018 that he's "seen the 'Potter' films during the premieres, but other than that no — never!" Is Felton self conscious, or is he trying to keep his memory of the films untarnished? Actually, he has an even more sentimental reason to hold off on a "Harry Potter" marathon. "I'm saving that for a sacred day," he said. "I have visions of doing that with my two kids, when I'm a little bit older."
In early 2021, Felton decided to have a little bit of a sacred day with his fans. The actor went on Instagram Live while rewatching "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". He live streamed his reaction to the first 33 minutes of the film and seemed to be delighted by every second of the experience. When Draco is first seen on screen, Felton couldn't contain his smile and warm heartedly referred to his character as "the cocky little s***." Felton might not have children yet, but he has thousands of fans, many of whom grew up watching his performances, and they were honored to be included in Felton's rewatch.
Despite rumors, he's never dated Emma Watson
For nearly as long as Tom Felton and Emma Watson have been onscreen together, fans have speculated that they might be romantically involved. The rumors were certainly boosted by "Harry Potter" fans shipping Dramione — a romantic pairing between Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. While the two characters never got together, there might have been a romantic spark between the actors portraying them. In a 2012 interview on "The Jonathan Ross Show," Emma Watson admitted she had a crush on Felton "between the ages of 10 and 12."
Felton and Watson have remained close friends over the years, even after the "Harry Potter" movies wrapped. Every so often, fan speculation ramps back up and one of the two of them comments on the matter. In June 2021, Felton spoke with ET about his relationship with Watson. "We are something, if that makes any sense," he said, initially giving hope to the Dramione fans of the world. Then he continued, "As far as the romantic side of it, I think that's a Slytherin/Gryffindor thing rather than a Tom and Emma thing. I absolutely think the world of her." There's almost no chance that Felton's comments will do anything to quell the rumors, but for now he and Watson seem content with the situation.
He's okay being typecast as a villain
After playing one of the most iconic bad guys in recent memory, it'd be completely understandable if Tom Felton wanted to turn over a new leaf. "I am the polar opposite of Draco," he told the Daily Mail. Considering that he first auditioned for the franchise's titular role, many people might have expected Felton to immediately turn to more heroic parts in movies. Instead, in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," his first film after the conclusion of "Harry Potter," Felton plays the cruel bully Dodge Landon.
In a 2011 interview with Da Man, Felton was asked if he ever worried about being typecast as a villain. "No, it's quite the opposite," Felton said. "I hope to embrace it. I think British actors have quite a good pedigree in playing villainous roles and they seem very happy." Three years later, Felton confirmed that his opinion hadn't changed a bit saying, "I would be happy to play villainous roles for the rest of my life."
He doesn't let fame define him
Despite being a movie star, Tom Felton does his best to live a normal life. He told Da Man that he has many of the same friends today as he did before starring in "Harry Potter." According to Felton, "They have absolutely no interest in [fame]." Instead of drilling him about the latest happenings in the movie business, his friends prefer to grab a beer at a local pub and watch a soccer match. Those age-old relationships help to keep Felton grounded as he travels the world filming and promoting movies.
When asked what he does in his free time, Felton said that he prefers doing "normal stuff." For him that means spending plenty of time outdoors, ideally playing golf or walking his dog, which is his "number one thing for stress relief." He also pursues other creative endeavors, like playing guitar, that have garnered him some more attention in his years since the end of "Harry Potter."
He's a musician
After "Harry Potter" Tom Felton disappeared from the big screen for a while. He was never gone completely, but fans were definitely seeing less of him than they were accustomed to. While they might have been seeing him less, they were definitely hearing him more. Felton started recording his own original songs and releasing them on the YouTube channel feltbeats as far back as 2008. When asked if he would ever sign a deal with a major label, Felton said, "I'm not really interested in all that. I'd rather just keep it to the listeners that it has got."
According to The Sun, Felton reportedly signed with a small record label and joked that he was "looking to get into the grime rap UK scene." While a Draco Malfoy-themed rap album never came to fruition, Felton continued recording his own music. In 2021, he was still going strong and self-released the EP YoOHoO.
He's gotten in on the superhero zeitgeist
What's really the difference between magic and super powers? Tom Felton would be the person to ask. In 2016, he joined the cast of CW's "The Flash" as Julian Albert, a historian and former crime scene investigator who unknowingly becomes the villain Alchemy after finding — believe it or not — the Philosopher's Stone. Aside from that strange coincidence, Felton's character in "The Flash" couldn't be more removed from his role in the "Harry Potter" films.
Felton admitted in an interview with Showbiz Junkies that he was caught off guard when he was asked to join the show's cast. He'd yet to watch an episode, but after getting the offer that soon changed. "I marathoned my way through about 35 episodes, fell in love with the show," said Felton. "It has a wonderful feel good factor, kind of comfort level." He added that the show has "the comfort of watching 'Friends' but with the excitement of watching 'Spider-Man' or 'Batman.'" Unfortunately, Felton left "The Flash" after just one season when his contract expired and moved onto other projects.
He's open to playing any Malfoy character in the future
Tom Felton has been keeping busy these last few years, starring in a steady stream of feature films and making appearances in shows like "The Flash" and "Origin." While he isn't hurting for work, part of him must miss the role he played for 10 years. People asked Felton if he'd be interested in returning to the world of "Harry Potter", and his answer was a resounding "abso-bloody-lutely." Felton said he'd be open to reprising his role as Draco, or even a younger version of Draco's father Lucius. "I'll play Draco's kid if you really want!" he admitted. "Any chance to be a Malfoy again would be greatly accepted."
Fans will just have to wait and see if a new "Harry Potter" project will give Felton another crack at the Malfoys. In the meantime, the actor recently finished production on five different films, so fans will be able to see plenty of him in the near future.