Harry Potter director reveals struggle to get support from ‘suspicious’ crew
'You have to keep up a certain level.'
Harry Potter director Chris Columbus recalled the crew’s initial suspicions of him and how much ‘work’ it took to get their support.
The filmmaker helmed the first two movies in the franchise, 2001’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and 2002 sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
He most recently worked on the eagerly-anticipated adaptation of the Thursday Murder Club on Netflix, starring Pierce Brosnan, Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie
During a Q&A session with the cast at the New York premiere, held at the Paris Theater, host Josh Horowitz asked how he managed being an American surrounded by a group of A-list Brits on set – and he compared the experience to his efforts on the wizarding series.
‘I had already been through it with Potter,’ the 66-year-old replied, explaining that he grew up with a ‘love of everything British’, stemming from the Beatles and watching A Hard Day’s Night and Help!
‘I’m pretty well steeped in the culture, and I dealt with all the jokes and the ridiculousness when I started Harry Potter – the first two weeks, the crew was completely suspicious of me.
Chris helmed the first two movies in the wizarding franchise (Picture: Reuters)
