Today, the characters from the Harry Potter franchise are synonymous with the actors who played them but, as we're about to find out, many roles were almost played by someone else.

Creator J.K Rowling had complete creative control over the films and was very strict about which actors were allowed to be considered for parts. It was her wish that only British actors be cast - which was sad because it meant that some American actors who were really keen to be in the films were turned away. Robin Williams was one of them.

The production crew also needed to think ahead, especially when they began casting for the first film. They needed to make sure the young actors they chose could grow with their roles and that all the actors would be available for further films.

All the actors on today's list almost landed roles in Harry Potter, and it would have looked very different if they had!

20 Tilda Swinton Turned Down A Harry Potter Role Because She Hates Boarding Schools

As popular as it is, not everyone is a fan of the Harry Potter franchise. Tilda Swinton turned down a role in the first film because she felt that the story romanticized boarding schools. "I think they are a very cruel setting in which to grow up," she explained during an interview.

19 Tom Felton First Auditioned To Play Harry

Tom Felton originally auditioned for the role of Harry and the role of Ron, before landing the part of Draco. "I'm very grateful I am in the film at all, but even more grateful that I got the character of Draco," Felton said he said during an interview with MTV.

18 Rosie O'Donnell Offered To Play Molly Weasley For Free

Rosie O'Donnell was very keen to join the Harry Potter franchise and approached the director to offer herself as Ron's mother Mrs. Weasley. There were even some rumors that she wanted the role so badly she offered to do it for free. But Rosie was turned down as only British actors were permitted by J.K Rowling.

17 Robin Williams Would Have Loved To Play Hagrid

Robin Williams was so keen to be in the first Harry Potter film that he personally called director Chris Columbus to ask for a role. But J.K Rowling stipulated that all the actors had to be British so even though he would have made a brilliant Hagrid, Columbus had to turn Williams down.

16 Rosamund Pike Thought The Role Of Rita Skeeter Was Too Small For Her

Rosamund Pike initially signed on to play the nosey Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire but when she learned that she would also have to appear in The Order of the Phoenix (with minimal screen time), she decided to bow out. Miranda Richardson was cast in her place.

15 Hugh Grant Turned Down The Chance To Be Gilderoy Lockhart

It's a shame that pesky scheduling conflicts prevented Hugh Grant from acting the role of Gilderoy Lockhart because we're sure he could have pulled it off perfectly. Instead, the role of the self-absorbed Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor went to Kenneth Branagh who did an amazing job with the character.

14 Henry Cavill Wanted The Role Of Cedric Diggory

Back in the 2000's, Henry Cavill, now known to the world as Superman, lost out on two big roles - both of which ended up going to Robert Pattinson. Cavill tried out for the role of Edward in Twilight and Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but was turned down for both.

13 Steven Spielberg Wanted Haley Joel Osment To Play Harry

Director Steven Spielberg originally agreed to head up the first Harry Potter film but he backed out after creative differences with J.K Rowling. Spielberg initially envisioned Haley Joel Osment (who had at that time already been nominated for an Oscar for his performance in The Sixth Sense) taking on the role of Harry Potter.

12 Kate Winslet Missed Out On Her Harry Potter Dream

Kate Winslet was rumored to be one of the top choices for the role of Helena Ravenclaw, aka the Grey Lady, but she didn't even get a chance to consider the role because her agent turned it down on her behalf. It wasn't a big role which is probably why the agent rejected it without even consulting her.

11 Tim Roth Was Professor Snape But He Pulled Out At The Last Minute

It's impossible to imagine anyone but Alan Rickman playing the role Professor Snape but it almost happened. Tim Roth was cast to play Snape but he turned down the role at the last moment to instead work on Planet of the Apes. He later explained that he was really keen to work with director Tim Burton, hence his decision to turn down Harry Potter.

10 Helen McCrory Declined To Play Bellatrix Lestrange

Sirius Black's cousin Bellatrix was originally meant to be played by Helen McCrory, but after finding out that she was pregnant shortly after landing the role, she decided that the part would be too much for her. Helen ended up playing Narcissa Malfoy instead while Helena Bonham Carter stepped in as Bellatrix Lestrange.

9 Naomi Watts Could Have Been Narcissa Malfoy But Her Agent Rejected The Offer

Naomi Watts could have taken on the role of Narcissa, (Lucius Malfoy's wife and Draco's mother) but her agents decided to turn down the role on her behalf. While she probably would have done an excellent job, we loved what Helen MccRory did with the role. But it could have been very different...

8 Ian McKellen Declined The Role Of Dumbledore

When the original Dumbledore actor Richard Harris passed away, Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf the Grey in Lord of the Rings, was offered the part. But McKellen claimed that Harris once called him a “technically brilliant, but passionless” actor and that he didn't feel right taking over a role from an actor who didn't approve of him.

7 Liam Aiken Was Briefly Offered The Role Of Harry

Finding the right actor to play the role of Harry wasn't easy. The producers needed to find an actor who was just the right age and had blue or green eyes. Initially, Liam Aiken was offered the role but it was almost immediately retracted because he was an American and not British.

6 Health Problems Prevented Alec Guinness From Playing Dumbledore

During the early development stage of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, various actors were considered for the role of Dumbledore. One of them was Star Wars actor Alec Guinness but unfortunately, during the casting phase, he became too ill to take part. He passed away shortly before filming began.

5 J. K. Rowling Almost Played Lily Potter

J.K Rowling was asked to play the role of Lily Potter but she turned it down, saying she didn't feel that she was cut out to be an actress. And while it would have been cool for the creator of Harry Potter to appear in the films, it might have also been too much of a distraction.

4 Eddie Redmayne Auditioned To Play A Young Tom Riddle

Long before he landed the role of Fantastic Beasts' Newt Scamander, Eddie Redmayne tried to break into the Harry Potter franchise by trying out for other parts. “I actually auditioned to play Tom Riddle when I was back at university,” Redmayne revealed in an interview. “I properly failed and didn’t get a call back."

3 Sirius Black Was Almost Played By Robson Green

It's so difficult to imagine anyone other than Gary Oldman in the role of Sirius Black but it very nearly happened! Originally Robson Green (best known for the British TV show Soldier Soldier) was cast in this pivotal role, however when the film changed directors, Green was replaced with Oldman.

2 Emma Watson Got The Role Of Hermione Over Hatty Jones

The initial search to find the perfect young actress to play Hermione Granger finally came down to two candidates - Hatty Jones, who had already starred in Madeline, and Emma Watson, at that stage an unknown actress. The producers eventually chose Watson because they felt she had exactly what they were looking for, but it was close between the girls.

1 M. Night Shyamalan Almost Directed The First Harry Potter Film

Steven Spielberg was initially set to direct the first Harry Potter, film but after he fell out with J.K Rowling over creative differences, the production needed to find a new director. At one stage, M.Night Shyamalan was approached but he had to turn it down as he was busy with his own film, Unbreakable.