Ian McKellen reveals why he turned down the role of Albus Dumbledore in Harry P...

Veteran actor Ian McKellen has revealed the reason behind his turning down the role of Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series after actor Richard Harris passed away in 2002.

The 77-year-old star said he declined the popular part because he did not want to fill in for the actor who dismissed his talent as a performer, reported The Independent.

“When he died - he played Dumbledore, the wizard - I played the real wizard (Gandalf in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy) of course - but when they called me up and said would I be interested in being in the Harry Potter films, they didn’t say what part.

“I worked out what they were thinking and I couldn’t. I couldn’t take over the part from an actor who I’d known hadn’t approved of me,” McKellen said in an interview with BBC Hardline.

The LOTR star recalled that Harris had called him and fellow thespians Derek Jacobi and Kenneth Branagh as “technically brilliant, but passionless”.

Harris passed away after Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and actor Michael Gambon eventually took up the part.