The Harry Potter Books Give The Franchise's New Hagrid Actor A Huge Challenge
By Dan Bibby
With images of Nick Frost as Harry Potter's new Rubeus Hagrid starting to leak online, it's beginning to get very real that Robbie Coltrane is on the verge of being replaced. Coltrane has left incredibly big shoes to fill, both literally and metaphorically, but the fantasy saga's source material also contributes to the difficulties Frost could face when playing the beloved character.
Appearing as Hagrid in all eight Harry Potter movies, Coltrane will probably always be the actor most commonly associated with the role. However, Frost's iteration of the character will presumably go on to eclipse Coltrane's when it comes to screen time. That said, the original Hagrid exists only in the pages of JK Rowling's book series. The way he was brought to life in literary form, paired with Coltrane's performances as Hagrid, is what could create a notable obstacle for Nick Frost.
Appearing as Hagrid in all eight Harry Potter movies, Coltrane will probably always be the actor most commonly associated with the role. However, Frost's iteration of the character will presumably go on to eclipse Coltrane's when it comes to screen time. That said, the original Hagrid exists only in the pages of JK Rowling's book series. The way he was brought to life in literary form, paired with Coltrane's performances as Hagrid, is what could create a notable obstacle for Nick Frost.
Hagrid Is The Only Harry Potter Character Whose Dialogue Is Written Phonetically In The Books
Hagrid's West Country accent could only arise from spending a great deal of time in a specific region of the UK. Even when originally reading the books before the first movie was released, it was easy to hear Hagrid's voice in your head due to Rowling's decision to spell out his dialogue in a very specific manner. That said, it was arguably only an easy accent to conjure up in your mind's ear if you were already aware it existed.
Regardless, Rowling didn't give any of her other characters this treatment in the books, suggesting it was only Hagrid that she was immovable on when it came to how readers should "hear" his words. It's not Robbie Coltrane's natural accent, but the Scottish actor did an amazing job of adopting it while playing Hagrid.
Now, the way Rowling wrote Hagrid's dialogue almost seems like a transcription of Coltrane's performance, rather than the other way around. I know that when I read the Harry Potter books now, all I hear is Robbie Coltrane when Hagrid is speaking. They've become inseparable.
Regardless, Rowling didn't give any of her other characters this treatment in the books, suggesting it was only Hagrid that she was immovable on when it came to how readers should "hear" his words. It's not Robbie Coltrane's natural accent, but the Scottish actor did an amazing job of adopting it while playing Hagrid.
Now, the way Rowling wrote Hagrid's dialogue almost seems like a transcription of Coltrane's performance, rather than the other way around. I know that when I read the Harry Potter books now, all I hear is Robbie Coltrane when Hagrid is speaking. They've become inseparable.
Nick Frost Will Need To Balance The Books' Hagrid Dialogue & Robbie Coltrane's Perfect Delivery
Early images of Nick Frost as Hagrid prove that the show is keeping the character's look from the movies pretty much completely intact. So, there will already be a sense of cognitive dissonance seeing a different face poking out from behind all the beard. Frost is fighting an uphill battle in this respect, and also with trying to put his own stamp on the character in general.
Because Coltrane's West Country accent wasn't an original performance choice, but rather a way of honoring the source material, Nick Frost is pretty much required to speak in the same way. The show's producers have said several times that book accuracy is a big focus this time around, so having a Hagrid whose voice doesn't match the phonetically written dialogue would stray from that mission.
With all that in mind, I imagine it will be incredibly difficult for Frost to find a way to read his lines that are book-accurate, but also in a way that doesn't make it seem like he's just doing an impression of Robbie Coltrane. That said, this probably says more about how perfect Coltrane was for the role and how difficult it will be to replace him.
Because Coltrane's West Country accent wasn't an original performance choice, but rather a way of honoring the source material, Nick Frost is pretty much required to speak in the same way. The show's producers have said several times that book accuracy is a big focus this time around, so having a Hagrid whose voice doesn't match the phonetically written dialogue would stray from that mission.
With all that in mind, I imagine it will be incredibly difficult for Frost to find a way to read his lines that are book-accurate, but also in a way that doesn't make it seem like he's just doing an impression of Robbie Coltrane. That said, this probably says more about how perfect Coltrane was for the role and how difficult it will be to replace him.
The New Harry Potter Show Looks Like It's Already Sticking With The Movies' Biggest Hagrid Book Deviation
In every version of the Harry Potter saga, Hagrid is half-human, half-giant. Grawp's presence in 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix does a great job of showing how huge full-blooded giants are, and yet Hagrid just looks like a slightly-bigger-than-average human in the movies.
In the books, while I don't think an exact height is ever given, Hagrid is described to be shockingly tall, far beyond the height of how Coltrane's version is portrayed. Nick Frost's Hagrid, from leaked set photos, also looks to be roughly the same size as Coltrane's.
In the books, while I don't think an exact height is ever given, Hagrid is described to be shockingly tall, far beyond the height of how Coltrane's version is portrayed. Nick Frost's Hagrid, from leaked set photos, also looks to be roughly the same size as Coltrane's.
Making Hagrid as gargantuan as he's made out to be in the books wouldn't work on-screen, as it would make it incredibly difficult for him to interact with most of the main characters. I think the live-action adaptation we got was a good middle ground for everything to still make sense. Still, given the immense difference in size between humans and giants, just how Hagrid was conceived remains...let's say, mysterious.
My main point here is that Hagrid should technically have been bloody massive in the movies, but he wasn't, and it worked out better than being too bound to the source material. Therefore, maybe Nick Frost won't give Hagrid the accent Rowling originally intended. This would certainly give him more wiggle room to make the character his own, and previous Harry Potter adaptation decisions prove authenticity isn't always everything.
My main point here is that Hagrid should technically have been bloody massive in the movies, but he wasn't, and it worked out better than being too bound to the source material. Therefore, maybe Nick Frost won't give Hagrid the accent Rowling originally intended. This would certainly give him more wiggle room to make the character his own, and previous Harry Potter adaptation decisions prove authenticity isn't always everything.