I told the producers of “Harry Potter” to “fuck off”

Say the magic words. Alan Cumming had a few choice syllables for the producers of “Harry Potter” when they offered him a role in the billion dollar franchise.

The 56-year-old “The Good Wife” star was in the running to play Hogwarts professor Gilderoy Lockhart in 2002 “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” alongside actors Rupert Everett and Hugh Grant. In an interview with The Telegraph, Cumming explained why he declined the coveted role.

“I didn’t turn it down,” he told the UK publication. “I told them to go fuck themselves!”

“They wanted Rupert Everett and I to do a screen test, and they said they couldn’t pay me more than a certain amount, they just had no more money in the budget,” he said. added the Scottish artist. “And I had the same agent as Rupert, who of course they were going to pay more. Lie openly, lie stupidly too. For example, if you lie, be smart about it.

“I said, tell them to fuck right now,” he continued. “And I thought, well, Rupert is going to get the part. They tested him, and I remember he brought his own wig. And then they gave it to Kenneth Branagh, they came out of the shadows.

Cumming starred in the Apple TV + comedy musical series “Schmigadoon!” as Mayor Menlove and lent his voice to the controversial HBO Max sitcom “The Prince”.

The “Harry Potter” film franchise ended its run in 2011 after eight films. It has grossed over $ 7 billion at the box office since its inception in 2001. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” WarnerMedia is set to create a quiz-style game show and a Special retrospective on HBO Max, Cartoon Network and TBS later this year.