A new video from Harry Potter star Tom Felton reveals his grandfather had a cameo appearance in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Felton is widely known as the actor behind Harry Potter’s arch-nemesis, Draco Malfoy, and throughout the eight-film series he managed to build up a dedicated following, despite the character’s wicked ways.
From the moment Malfoy met Potter, it was apparent the two would never become friends. To be fair, however, it was Malfoy who actually made an attempt to win Harry over upon their first meeting in The Sorcerer’s Stone. But Malfoy’s intent was never more honorable than hoping to gain another bully in his entourage, and his belief that the “right sort” of wizards existed to make friends with certainly rubbed Harry the wrong way. Over the course of the next seven films in the series, Malfoy proved himself to be a conniving and downright dangerous antagonist, though to this day there is no shortage of fans who feel he was ultimately a sympathetic character. But while much is known about Malfoy in the franchise, few knew Felton had a family connection in the first Harry Potter film.
During a livestream via his Instagram account recently, Felton sat and watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone while providing running commentary. As the film’s Quidditch match took place, Felton excitedly pointed out the Hogwarts professor seated next to game commentator Lee Jordan (Luke Youngblood) is actually his grandfather, Nigel Anstey:
“That’s my grandpa again! The guy with the beard. White beard! Huge beard right next to Lee Jordan. And there’s me again. It’s a family thing, mental! Mental!”
Though the moment is a brief one for Anstey, he also appeared in a scene where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Draco see the Hogwarts Great Hall for the first time. Oddly enough, Antsey’s chosen profession was not acting, and he’s quite a renown and accomplished geophysicist, with numerous books on seismic exploration to his credit. Anstey isn’t listed in the official credits for the film, making it difficult to say just which Hogwarts professor he played. It’s also hard to know how Felton’s grandfather came to be cast as a professor, given his geophysicist background, but it does make for a sweet cameo.
In recent months, Felton has been increasingly vocal about the Harry Potter franchise. He’s previously mentioned his efforts at trying to get a cast reunion together, and he’s even stated he would be interested in coming back for future Potter projects. This most recent livestreamed event proved to be a success, especially with this fun reveal about his family's connection to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Hopefully Felton has some sort of role in the potential HBO Max Harry Potter series that's reportedly in development, because he’s clearly still in love with the wizarding world that made him a star.
Source: Tom Felton