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Tom Felton shares a heartfelt tribute to his late Harry Potter co-star, Robbie Coltrane. The Scottish actor played the friendly half-giant Rubeus Hagrid who served as Hogwarts’ Keeper of Keys and Grounds before being promoted to the school’s Care of Magical Creatures professor and is later revealed to be a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Last fall, Coltrane passed away at the age of 72. Many of his co-stars, including Harry Potter himself Daniel Radcliffe, have shared tributes to the Hagrid actor.
Now, months after Coltrane’s death, Felton is sharing his own touching and thoughtful tribute. The star, who played Potter’s nemesis Draco Malfoy, penned an exclusive essay for E! News in which he honored his late co-star and remembered all that his “dearly missed friend” did for his young castmates on the set of Harry Potter. Read a portion of Felton’s tribute to Coltrane below:
In the early days of Harry Potter, the cast comprised two distinct groups: children and adults. Emma Watson was 9 when we started shooting; Dan Radcliffe was 11; I was 13. Maggie Smith and Richard Harris, by comparison, were in their sixties and seventies. Do the math: You were either one of the kids, or you were one of the grown-ups. Unless, that is, you were Robbie Coltrane. Somehow, Robbie managed to be an adult and a child at the same time, maintaining a foot in both camps.
His knowledge of the world was astounding. He was well-versed in any topic you might care to mention, from engineering to geography, from history to travel—and that meant he had something to contribute to any grown-up conversation that might be happening on set. You could tell that the older actors valued and respected his experience. We kids, though, didn’t have much time for that stuff. We just wanted to be, well, kids—mischievous, impish and high-spirited. But so did Robbie. He had more mischief in him than a common room full of Slytherins. He could fool around with the best of us. He might have had the mind of an adult, but he truly had the heart of a child.
That’s not to say he wasn’t a true professional. Robbie knew how important it was to know your lines, to be on your mark, to play to camera. We learned our trade from watching him. He set a great example to us all on how to nail the basic skills of being on set, but never in a boring or patronizing way. Although he routinely had to deal with a crazy amount of hair and make-up and suits and stilts, he still somehow managed to create an environment that allowed us all to be playful.
Robbie Coltrane Will Always Be Remembered As Hagrid
Though Coltrane enjoyed a successful career as an actor and comedian before Harry Potter, he will always be remembered for the indebile imprint he left on the film franchise. With his memorable portrayal of the kind-hearted Hagrid, Coltrane did not only endear himself to audiences, but the young actors who essentially grew up with him on set, evidenced by Felton’s essay. Coltrane also left an everlasting impact on Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, who were all 12 or younger when cast.
Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint all previously paid tribute to Coltrane, echoing Felton’s comments about his warmness, compassion, talent, and vast experience. In total, about 30 of Coltrane’s co-star and collaborators from the Harry Potter franchise have publicly honored him after his death, sharing how much the Hagrid actor meant to them. Just as Coltrane said during the 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special, his legacy as Hagrid will live long on long after his death.
Source: E! News
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