The character of Dudley Dursley was nearly recast in the Harry Potter film series due to a dramatic change with the Dudley Dursley actor. Harry Melling portrayed the spoiled cousin of Harry starting in 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Melling reprised his role for four more movies, but that almost wasn't the case ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Sorcerer's Stone was not only Melling's feature film debut, but it was also his first professional acting gig. The same will probably be true for whoever is cast as the character in the upcoming HBO Max Harry Potter television reboot.
Only 12-year-old when the movie debuted, the Dudley Dursley actor Harry Melling seemed to capture Dudley's physicality and demeanor from the novels. Dudley was the only child of Vernon and Petunia Dursley, who's biggest secret was cut. The Muggles became the guardians of their nephew, Harry Potter, after the death of the boy's parents at the hands of Dark Wizard, Lord Voldemort. Despite ignoring the fact that Harry was a wizard, the Dursleys were forced to come to terms with their connection to the wizarding world. Harry Melling did end up keeping the complex role of Dudley Dursley, however, here's why he almost didn't come back.
Harry Melling Lost Too Much Weight To Play Dudley Dursley
Since Harry often stayed with the extended family when not at Hogwarts, the Dursleys were present in multiple Harry Potter installments. For the most part, Harry Melling as Dudley was a thorn in Harry's side. He either picked on his cousin or ignored his existence completely. It wasn't until Harry saved Dudley from Dementors in the events of Harry Potter in the Order of the Phoenix did their relationship get on better terms. The Dudley Dursley actor made one more appearance in Deathly Hallows – Part 1. In that three-year gap, the actor lost a considerable amount of weight and was nearly unrecognizable.
With his transformation, there were discussions to recast Dudley since Harry Melling looked so different. In the end, Melling reprised his role, but he was forced to spend more time with production. To resemble Dudley more closely, Harry Melling had to wear a padded suit and a special face prosthetic for his final Harry Potter appearance. The "fat suit" as it's commonly called, hid Melling's dramatic weight loss and better matched the continuity of the series when it came to Dudley's arc. Though the actor went through a drastic transformation, it was his role to conclude in the franchise.
A Harry Potter recasting might have been an option, but it was easier to alter the appearance of the actor who portrayed Dudley from the start. Melling's weight loss became symbolic of a fresh beginning for his acting career around the time Deathly Hallows – Part 1 was released. By shedding the weight, the Dudley Dursley actor Harry Melling was also letting go of the character he played for so many years. Being grateful for the opportunity in the Harry Potter franchise didn't change the fact that he was ready to move on to other gigs.
What Harry Melling Has Done Since Harry Potter
Harry Melling has had an illustrious career outside of playing Dudley Dursley in Harry Potter. Directly after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Melling appeared on an episode of Merlin playing Gilli. After a stint in various TV movies and short films, the actor won the role of The Artist in the Coen brothers' Western anthology film The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Melling later starred in an episode of His Dark Materials as Sysselman. The Harry Potter actor then moved onto Netflix as Merrick in the movie Old Guard and one of Anya Taylor-Joy's love interests, Harry Beltik, in The Queen's Gambit.
Harry Melling teamed up with one of the Coen brothers again, Joel Coen, to play Malcolm in The Tragedy of Macbeth. Recently, Melling starred opposite of Christian Bale as none other than Edgar Allen Poe in The Pale Blue Eye. As of now, the Dudley Dursley actor's latest project, Promised Land, is in post-production. Either way, the Harry Potter actor's radical transformation doesn't seem to have slowed his career down.
HBO's Harry Potter Series Can Do Dudley's Arc Justice (And Harry Melling Can Return)
With the announcement that a new Harry Potter reboot television series is on the horizon via HBO Max, excitement abounds as J.K. Rowling's prolific series is now being offered the deeper exploration that it deserves. This could mean two things for both the character of Dudley Dursley, and Harry Melling, who played him in the film series: Dudley's arc can finally be shown onscreen, and Harry Melling could return as Vernon Dursley. First off, Dudley's arc in the series was largely ignored. There is a deleted Deathly Hallows scene in which he and Harry leave off on good terms, but its reasons for being cut are unknown.
Dudley's arc, while not a main plot thread in Harry Potter, was significant in its own right. Dudley spent their childhoods as Harry's first bully, which is why his change after being rescued in Order of the Phoenix was so shocking, yet satisfying. More insight was given into the characters of Dudley and Petunia Dursley, but these glimpses were cut from the film series, in a way, stripping the two Dursleys of their humanity and making them nasty for evil's sake. The television series could flesh out one of the movies' best missing character arcs, and give audiences the triumphant moment of his and Harry's reconciliation that viewers sorely missed.
In addition, there's a lot of speculation surrounding the cast of the upcoming Harry Potter TV show, and whether actors from the original series could play adult characters. While there's a great following behind the idea of Tom Felton returning to play Lucius Malfoy, there should be equal support for Harry Melling to return as Vernon Dursley. He may be slightly too young to fill the role, but it's nothing a little movie magic couldn't fix. Outside of his time on Harry Potter, Harry Melling has proven himself to be incredibly talented and could put a whole new spin on Vernon Dursley.
