The Off-Screen Drama That Led to Crabbe's Disappearance from Harry Potter Movies
Fame sent him into a downward spiral from which he never recovered.
Summary
- This actor was part of the franchise from the beginning, but not the end.
- Drugs and violence quickly cost him his role in Harry Potter.
- The franchise quietly replaced him with another character for the final film.
From the very first Harry Potter movie, Vincent Crabbe was a constant presence alongside Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle. A pure-blood wizard, son of a Death Eater, and a member of the Slytherin house at Hogwarts, Crabbe was not a character to be liked. Following closely behind Draco Malfoy, Crabbe went from being a relentless bully to a dark wizard in the books.
He went down a bad path on-screen, and off-screen
His journey into darkness alongside Draco was expected, but what fans didn't expect was for his character to be completely replaced by the end of the movie franchise.
Up until the final film, Crabbe often appeared as Draco's loyal sidekick, but he was completely absent from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Part 2, and was replaced by another student. His absence was most noticeable during a key scene in the story where Draco, Crabbe and Goyle go head-to-head with Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Room of Requirement to try to find one of the few remaining Horcruxes.
It came to light that Jamie Waylett, who played Crabbe, had been involved in a series of off-screen arrests that ultimately cost him his role in Harry Potter and any chance of a future in the industry. Warner Bros. promptly fired Waylett, and the actor seemed to drop off everyone's radar, while his co-stars went on to appear in the final films and enjoy bright futures in the film industry.
Drugs, stolen champagne and petrol bombs
Waylett's first arrest came in 2009. The then 20-year-old actor pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis and possession of a knife after he and a friend were stopped with the contraband in their vehicle. This led to the discovery that he was growing marijuana in his family home. He was sentenced to community service, and although this would not be his only or most serious offense, reports claim that this was the reason for his removal from Harry Potter.
Two years later, he was arrested and sentenced to two years in prison for violent disorder after being pictured brandishing a petrol bomb and drinking stolen alcohol during the 2011 London riots.
To date, Harry Potter is the only acting role the now 34-year-old has to his name, having been a part of the franchise since the age of 11. Many believe that Waylett's childhood fame may have led to his eventual downfall, that he did not have a proper and structured childhood, which led him to rebel later in life.
The child-star is unrecognizable today
Fans were shocked when Waylett resurfaced, spotted on the popular video service site Cameo, which offers personalized videos for a fee. With scruffy facial hair, star tattoos above his eyebrow and a nose piercing, no Harry Potter fan could have expected the actor to look the way he does today.
The British actor has posted numerous pictures and videos on his Instagram page, which has less than 1,500 followers, where he seems to reminisce about his Harry Potter days. On his profile, he describes himself as a former actor and rapper, and offers a link to his Cameo profile, where you can purchase a personalized video for around $200.
Source: Instagram.