If you were making a league table of famous fictional wizards, Dumbledore and Gandalf would probably be pretty big contenders for the top spot.

So why, after actor Richard Harris passed away in 2002 after filming the first two Harry Potterfilms, was Ian McKellen (a.k.a. Gandalf) not considered to replace him?

Well, it turns out he was.

SEE ALSO:37 hidden clues I only spotted when I reread 'Harry Potter' in my 20s

During a recent interview on the BBC's HARDTalkshow, McKellen explained that he was actually contacted about appearing in the franchise -- but he said no.

While talking about McKellen's critics, interviewer Stephen Sackur recited a quote from Richard Harris about McKellen and some other actors. Apparently Harris had previously described him as "technically brilliant but passionless."

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"Yeah," responded McKellen. "Nonsense."

McKellen then went on to describe the phone call he received about Harry Potterafter Harris had passed away.

"When they called me up and said would I be interested in being in the Harry Potterfilms, they didn't say in what part," he said.

"I couldn't..."

"I worked out what they were thinking and I couldn't... I couldn't take over the part from an actor who I'd known didn't approve of me."

"You mean you could've been Dumbledore?" responded Sackur.

"Well sometimes, when I see the posters of Mike Gambon, the actor who gloriously plays Dumbledore, I think sometimes it isme," joked McKellen in response.

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TopicsHarry Potter