Summary
- David Tennant's small but crucial role in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire paved the way for his successful career in franchises like Doctor Who and Jessica Jones.
- Tennant's portrayal of Barty Crouch Jr. in the film showcased his electric and twitchy performance, instantly establishing him as a villain.
- Despite feeling like a visitor on set due to his limited time and small role, Tennant cherished the opportunity to be part of the extraordinary Harry Potter franchise and work alongside renowned actors.
David Tennant appears in one Harry Potter film and though his part isn't big, his character is crucial to the story. Tennant is a prolific stage, television, and film actor who has appeared in numerous franchises as well as smaller roles across the course of his career. In the same year as Harry Potter, Tennant played the 10th Doctor in Doctor Who. These two massive franchises paved the way for Tennant’s career path. Since then, he has appeared in notable series like How to Train Your Dragon as Spitelout, the Star Wars franchise as Huyang, Broadchurch as Detective Alec Hardy, and Jessica Jones as Kilgrave, among many other roles.
Many audiences’ first introduction to David Tennant was in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Based on J.K. Rowling’s popular book franchise, this film is the adaptation of the fourth book in the series. In his fourth year at Hogwarts, Harry is mysteriously entered into the Triwizard Tournament where he competes against the champions of other wizarding schools in a variety of dangerous and difficult tasks. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is when the threat of Voldemort becomes real and Harry Potter’s story darkens as its focus narrows. David Tennant is one of these dark elements despite his Harry Potter part being small.
David Tennant Played Barty Crouch Jr. In Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
David Tennant appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as Barty Crouch Sr.’s son, Barty Crouch Jr. He’s first seen firing the Dark Mark spell into the air at the Quidditch World Cup as he and his fellow Death Eaters attack the event. Then, Harry goes into Dumbledore’s Pensieve and watches a trial for those accused of working with Voldemort. One of these conspirators is revealed to be an undercover Barty Crouch Jr., the son of the lead official in the trial. Tennant is electric and twitchy as the young wizard, and his villainy is instantly clear by the actor's performance alone.
The end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire reveals that Mad-Eye Moody (Brendan Gleeson) has actually been Barty Crouch Jr. the entire film; having disguised himself with Polyjuice Potion. Barty Crouch Jr. is revealed to be the secret puppetmaster behind many of the calamities and victories that happened to Harry. It’s not obvious that Mad-Eye was an imposter but David Tennant improvised by licking his lips throughout the film, a trait Gleeson decided to mimic, signaling one of the small ways keen-eyed viewers could figure out the twist.
Tennant Felt Like "A Visitor" On The Harry Potter Set
In an AMA on Reddit in 2020, Tennant promoted his podcast “David Tennant Does a Podcast With…” and answered fan questions. In response to one question about his time on Harry Potter, Tennant replied,
"I wasn’t on Harry Potter for all that long. I think I did 10 days or so over a year, so I always felt a bit like a visitor. But it was great to be part of something so extraordinary. They only gave me a little chair though, so when everyone was sat around Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon and Alan Rickman and Daniel Radcliffe all towered over me in these fancy cast chairs. Still a pleasure to be there though."
It’s not a surprise that David Tennant did not feel completely at home on the Harry Potter set. He only had a small role and was coming into a film with actors who had known each other and worked together for years. The rest of the AMA focused on Doctor Who and Broadchurch. So like many of his fans, the time David Tennant spent on Harry Potter was memorable, though it wasn't as significant as the rest of his career.