Harry Potter: Why Emma Thompson Was Never “Emotionally Attached” To The Movies (& The Franchise She Was)

Emma Thompson found more creative fulfillment in Nanny McPhee, which she had a personal connection to, than Harry Potter.
Thompson wrote and starred in the Nanny McPhee films, defining them as handmade and close to her heart.
While Thompson may have teased not enjoying large studio films, she continued to excel in big-budget movies post-2014, when she made the comment.
Emma Thompson plays a memorable character in the Harry Potter franchise, yet the actor has never felt particularly attached to the beloved franchise, instead choosing another series of movies as “hers”. The Harry Potter movie franchise is beloved as the adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s groundbreaking fantasy novels and of the many good decisions the filmmakers made over the series, casting an ensemble of legendary British theater actors helped give the “kids'” movies a creative heft and signaled their importance to more mature audiences.

Thompson was cast as the Divination professor Sybill Trelawney in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film in the series. She later reprised the role for Order of the Phoenix and The Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Trelawney is a more significant character in the novels than in the films, but the most important beats are still there, with Thompson delivering the most critical prophecies of the book. Thompson’s turn as the kooky but secretly gifted Trelawney is funny and unnerving. But as memorable as the Harry Potter character is, it’s not the franchise Thompson identifies most with.