It’s safe to say that Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson no longer have to worry about their finances after their roles in the original Harry Potter franchise. Interestingly, despite their significant screen time, the cast earned an incredible amount of money in a relatively short span.
Tom Felton, who portrayed Draco Malfoy, had a mere 31 minutes and 45 seconds of screen time throughout the eight films but reportedly earned an impressive £14 million for his role, making him the actor with the shortest screen time who was still highly compensated—what a fortunate situation!
On the other hand, his co-stars with more prominent roles were, of course, compensated even more. Daniel Radcliffe, for instance, earned between £1 million for the Philosopher’s Stone to £30 million for Deathly Hallows.
In an interview about securing the role of Harry Potter, Tom shared with The Guardian, “The Wizard in the cupboard under the stairs? With my three brothers, you quickly learn to have confidence. I think director Chris Columbus recognized this slight indifference and arrogance in me.”
Currently, the HBO adaptation of the Harry Potter series is in progress with various roles already filled—John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, among others. I’m excited to see who else will join the cast!
