Polyjuice actors

I've done a search and couldn't find something like this.

This thread is for discussing the performance of actors portraying a polyjuiced character. Here is a list of the polyjuice portrayals in the movies:

CoS:
Jamie Waylett as Crabbe-Ron
Joshua Herman as Goyle-Harry

GoF:
Brendan Gleeson as Barty-Moody

DH1:
Daniel Radcliffe as Fleur/Hermione/Fred/George/Ron/Mundungus-Harry
David O’Hara as Runcorn-Harry
Sophie Thompson as Mafalda-Hermione
Steffan Rhodri as Cattermole-Ron

DH2:
Helena Bonham-Carter as Bellatrix-Hermione




I think Dan did a great job in the Seven Potters scene. It was real fun. :rotfl:

And Helena did a brilliant job playing Hermione. I thought the way she stumbled on those high heels was a really nice touch.

I also really liked David O'Hara as Runcorn-Harry. I liked how perplexed he looked most of the time.

Major credit to all of these actors because it can't be easy to portray your character as someone else playing your character- and all succeeded in being convincing.

I think O'Hara, Thompson, and Rhodri were brilliant! You could definitely see Dan's Harry, Emma's Hermione, and Rupert's Ron in each of them- as opposed to them just playing Harry, Ron, and Hermione as their own. O'Hara even got Dan's walk! I think it was even harder for them because the characters the trio were impersonating were ones we've never seen before so they had no idea how to act as Runcorn, Malfalda, and Cattermole, as compared to Waylett and Herman who had a better idea of Harry and Ron's characters.

Helena was fantastic as Hermione-Bellatrix. Her expressions were spot-on and I too love the touch of not being able to walk in the heels. She was so convincing, you'd think they just did a really good make-up job on Emma!

And Dan deserves major kudos because he played more than character and even though it was one short scene, he studied each person long and hard to get their mannerisms and such.

Helena-Hermione stood out to me more than any of the others because she did a brilliant job. It really did seem like Hermione to the point where, when you're not thinking about the fact that it's a movie, you really could believe that Hermione just morphed into her.

I really have to rewatch the DH movies. I almost forgot about Dan's polyjuice scene altogether. I'm sure that must've been fun/a pain to do, haha.

I have always been very fond of the Crabbe-Ron for whatever reason.

I really, really enjoyed Helena as Hermione-Bellatrix. If it wasn't, obviously, for the looks, that could easily have been Emma Watson. It's a very complicated role, because she's playing someone pretending to be her, who's hating that she's in that body but still having to be convincing, while also dealing with all the pressure/nerves of the moment.

There's also a lot going on with Dan in the Seven Potters scene! My favorite is Harry-Hermione, who finished getting dressed before the others and stands in the background rolling her(his?) eyes impatiently.

I thought the Runcorn, Mafalda, and Cattermole characters did good jobs, too. It was so funny to watch because even though in the books I knew they were supposed to look like Ministry workers, I kept picturing it in my head as Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It was really strange to see these complete strangers on screen and have to remember that they're not random people, it's the trio.

Well, shows how much I know...I thought it was Hermione playing Bellatrix at Gringott's. So that Helena young lady did a fab job, because I was fooled. =)

I think they did a great job to portray each other especially Helena Bonham portraying Hermione, she doesn't usually act as a good person in her movies but she did well in this one!

Well, shows how much I know...I thought it was Hermione playing Bellatrix at Gringott's. So that Helena young lady did a fab job, because I was fooled. =)

It was tricky because they used Emma's voice!

David O’Hara as Runcorn-Harry is my favorite! The way he walks all unsure is very Harry.

They're all fun to watch. Bellatrix/Hermione was good, but it didn't live up to all the hype for me. My favorite was probably Runcorn/Harry. Crabbe/Ron and Goyle/Harry were also good.

I'm sure Dan would have wanted to do impressions of Rupert's Ron and Emma's Hermione for a long time, and this was his chance.

It must have been insane for Jamie Waylett & Joshua Herman to be the face of Harry potter even if it was for only one scene. Its jumping from secondary characters to right up front in the spot light.

I would have to say my favorite portrayal was Helena as Hermione. I think she did an amazing job of acting as Hermione pretending to be a bad guy.

I thought Helena played Hermione-Bellatrix very well.
I especially liked the look when the goblin asks for her wand.

I thought Helena played Hermione-Bellatrix very well.
I especially liked the look when the goblin asks for her wand.

It was confusing for me because I knew it was Helena acting like Emma imitating Bellatrix when it occurred to me that Bellatrix didn't have her usual scowl, which Hermione wouldn't normally have had. Good grief, I hope it's possible to understand that sentence!!

I don't understand the hesitancy to show Bellatrix's wand . . .

I don't understand the hesitancy to show Bellatrix's wand . . .

That's because by then I expect that most of the Death Eaters would have found out about Harry's escape from Malfoy Manor, and the fact that Bellatrix's wand was taken. I guess the Gringotts goblins would have been warned about this too, as a precaution (although LV actually didn't know that Harry knew about the Horcruxes at that point, yet.)

Back to the topic: I thought Helena Bonham-Carter's portrayal of Hermione disguised as Bellatrix was one of the best out of the "Polyjuice actors", she really nailed her insecurity.

I especially liked Cattermole-Ron. Omg! He was great! Runcorn-Harry was great too. That shifty walk of his.

I especially liked Cattermole-Ron. Omg! He was great! Runcorn-Harry was great too. That shifty walk of his.

I almost forgot about Runcorn Harry's walk! O'Hara did do a great job as Harry, the walk was perfect and quite amusing :) Helena in DH2 is my favuorite she did an awesome job as Bellatrix-Hermione the way she walked, and stumbled in the heels made it very beleivable, and her face looking at the goblin was very Hermione.

I have always been very fond of the Crabbe-Ron for whatever reason.

Me too! We don't usually see much of him and it's fun to see him act like Ron. I think he nailed the part.

In the books, I never pictured everyone keeping their own voices though, so that really confused me in the beginning.

But I have to agree with what's been said here, Helena does an awesome job of playing Hermione, it's very believable, you just forget it's not Emma you're watching.

I liked Hermione/Bellatrix on the beach as well, she really looked like Hermione the way she walked, and said "how do I look?". I liked Ron's disguise too, as it was hard to tell he wasn't polyjuiced.

Runcorn, Cattermole and Mafalda were really good too. It could have been very confusing, if it wasn't so easy to tell which was Harry and which was Ron.

I think the Barty-Moody was brilliant - mostly the way he still had the habit of licking his lips.
Also Hermione-Bellatrix was REALLY well done, I loved the way she seemed unsure, and how she kept stumbling in her high heels. :D

In the books, I never pictured everyone keeping their own voices though, so that really confused me in the beginning.

Stands to reason you'd have the voice of the polyjuiced person -- you'd have their vocal chords. Sometimes the decisions of the movie people are puzzling to me. On the other hand it would be confusing if we didn't hear Harry's and Ron's voices, wouldn't it?

Stands to reason you'd have the voice of the polyjuiced person -- you'd have their vocal chords. Sometimes the decisions of the movie people are puzzling to me. On the other hand it would be confusing if we didn't hear Harry's and Ron's voices, wouldn't it?

Yeah, that was what I thought. And also, I thought it was mentioned in CoS somewhere, that Harry was surprised to hear Crabbe's voice coming from Ron's stall, or something. But I'm not sure if I remember that correctly.

It might be a bit confusing, but then again, we know they used Polyjuice Potion, so we know we're actually watching & hearing Harry and Ron.

It might be a bit confusing, but then again, we know they used Polyjuice Potion, so we know we're actually watching & hearing Harry and Ron.

I thought it was a nice touch Ron didn't recognise Harry disguised as Runcorn. It was funny, and at the same time reminded the audience which was which.

I thought it was a nice touch Ron didn't recognise Harry disguised as Runcorn. It was funny, and at the same time reminded the audience which was which.

Yeah, I agree, that was funny.

And I did need a reminder, because with so many things happening all at once, it was a bit difficult to remember those new faces.

Stands to reason you'd have the voice of the polyjuiced person -- you'd have their vocal chords. Sometimes the decisions of the movie people are puzzling to me. On the other hand it would be confusing if we didn't hear Harry's and Ron's voices, wouldn't it?

I'd think they'd have to have the same voices in order for Crouch Jr. to have successfully made Dumbledore think he was Moody. If I remember correctly, Dumbledore knew Moody for a very long time.

I'd think they'd have to have the same voices in order for Crouch Jr. to have successfully made Dumbledore think he was Moody. If I remember correctly, Dumbledore knew Moody for a very long time.

Oh, good point! That's the only instant in the movies when Polyjuice Potion was used and the taker actually had the voice of the person he was impersonating.
(But, yeah, it would've been a dead give-away [and a much shorter film] if Moody had been using Barty Crouch's voice.)

wow i totally forgot that they were different actors hahahaha that's pathetic.

anyway, like everyone else i believe that Helena did a great job as Hermione. she is a brilliant actress no doubt. the Crabbe and Goyle actors did rather well too in CoS.

Radcliffe didn't really have to act all that much during the "7 Potters" scene though it was rather enjoyable.

I like Mafalda, Runcorn, and Cattermole but espcially the men.


Did anyone else notice that in CoS they have Crabbe and Goyle's voices? And in GoF he had Moody's voice? afterwards, they made them have the real characters voice. i believe it was more accurate to the book in the beginning movies because i distinctly remember in the book Harry saying "...came Goyle's deep grunt to his right" when Ron spoke. They probably changed this in the later films to avoid confusion on which character was which

Did anyone else notice that in CoS they have Crabbe and Goyle's voices? And in GoF he had Moody's voice? afterwards, they made them have the real characters voice. i believe it was more accurate to the book in the beginning movies because i distinctly remember in the book Harry saying "...came Goyle's deep grunt to his right" when Ron spoke. They probably changed this in the later films to avoid confusion on which character was which
Actually, in the CoS film Harry and Ron retain their voices upon taking Polyjuice Potion. I believe Harry (as Goyle) says, "We still sound like ourselves" and tells Ron (as Crabbe): "You need to sound more like Crabbe."

Thus, in the CoS film (unlike the book) Polyjuice Potion does not change the drinker's voice. This is true in the two DH films as well. However, in GoF it appears that Polyjuice Potion did change Barty Crouch's voice upon transforming into Moody. That, or Barty Crouch was simply an excellent imitator of Moody's voice (which is unlikely).

Therefore, we can note a minor inconsistency within the films, in which CoS, DH Part 1, and DH Part 2 Polyjuice Potion does not change the voice of the drinker, but in GoF it does. In this vein, GoF is the only book-accurate interpretation of Polyjuice Potion's voice effects.

I assumed that it was presented that Crouch, Jr. was an excellent imitator. He does a bang-on Robbie Coltrane in the final showdown - "Marvelous creatures, dragons?" I thought that was meant as an indicator he could impersonate people.

I thought whoever played Cattermole was PERFECTION. I completely forgot he wasn't Rupert Grint.

I thought whoever played Cattermole was PERFECTION. I completely forgot he wasn't Rupert Grint.

very true, he captured his/ron's expressions perfectly!

I think Helena played Hermione perfectly. She already does (did?) play Bellatrix very well, and playing Hermione on top of that was a job well done.

Stands to reason you'd have the voice of the polyjuiced person -- you'd have their vocal chords. Sometimes the decisions of the movie people are puzzling to me. On the other hand it would be confusing if we didn't hear Harry's and Ron's voices, wouldn't it?

Maybe for people who had no idea what's going on. I mean, COS was so obvious, 'Crabbe and Goyle' sounded just like Harry and Ron, surely Draco would have thought something was odd.

Maybe for people who had no idea what's going on. I mean, COS was so obvious, 'Crabbe and Goyle' sounded just like Harry and Ron, surely Draco would have thought something was odd.

i personally did not need a reminder but i see why some may. i believe they also kept harry's hair black and ron's lightish red/orange (but more blonde) in order to have less confusion. i also believe that they keep the actor's voices as the original character in the later books in order to avoid confusion. because in CoS ron and harry did not have crabbe's and goyle's voices and in GoF crouch had moody's but every time afterwards the original character retained their voiced and did not have that of the person that they were impersonating.

DH1:
Daniel Radcliffe as Fleur/Hermione/Fred/George/Ron/Mundungus-Harry
David O’Hara as Runcorn-Harry
Sophie Thompson as Mafalda-Hermione
Steffan Rhodri as Cattermole-Ron

DH2:
Helena Bonham-Carter as Bellatrix-Hermione




I think Dan did a great job in the Seven Potters scene. It was real fun. :rotfl:

And Helena did a brilliant job playing Hermione. I thought the way she stumbled on those high heels was a really nice touch.

I also really liked David O'Hara as Runcorn-Harry. I liked how perplexed he looked most of the time.

I loved david n helenas portayals of harry n hermione, too. Right down to their gestures and the way they walked.... Two very talented actors, obviously they did their research n these two to get the characters so perfect! I swear i could actually SEE Harry in Runcorn...

I think the Moody/Crouch thing was explained somewhere (I'm not sure where, but it was in an interview) that the reason that Moody/Crouch sounded like his 'real' self was that Crouch was so intelligent. In the book it says that Crouch had earned 12 O.W.L.s, so he could probably imitate Moody without anyone (especially Dumbledore!) catching on.

Not sure where the reference is, but I'll try to look it up!

I have to give to
DH2:
Helena Bonham-Carter as Bellatrix-Hermione

i thought she did an outstanding job

With Crouch/Moody, I've also heard that
it was because Crouch was better at making
Polyjuice Potion than Hermione.

However, since that would be very unlikely, IMHO,
I will accept that Crouch was a great impersonator.

BTW, watching the Bellatrix scene, I thought it was Emma Watson.

With Crouch/Moody, I've also heard that
it was because Crouch was better at making
Polyjuice Potion than Hermione.

However, since that would be very unlikely, IMHO,
I will accept that Crouch was a great impersonator.

BTW, watching the Bellatrix scene, I thought it was Emma Watson.

It was Helena, playing Bellatrix as Emma told her Hermione would act if she impersonated her. It was also Emma's voice.

That's one thing that bugged me in the movies - your vocal chords would change to match the person you changed into, along with the rest of your physical features, I think.

It was Helena, playing Bellatrix as Emma told her Hermione would act if she impersonated her. It was also Emma's voice.

That's one thing that bugged me in the movies - your vocal chords would change to match the person you changed into, along with the rest of your physical features, I think.

I think they had to do it that way for the films. Otherwise, the transformations could have been confusing for the movie-only crowd. I would imagine also that they had JKR's blessing to do it that way.

Helena was so convincing as Hermione playing Bellatrix that I paused the film to see if it wasn't just Emma dressed as Bellatrix.

I also really enjoyed the actors who portrayed the trio in the Ministry.

Helena was so convincing as Hermione playing Bellatrix that I paused the film to see if it wasn't just Emma dressed as Bellatrix.

I also really enjoyed the actors who portrayed the trio in the Ministry.

Yes, the trio at the Ministry were hilarious and the guy who played Ron really convinced me!