As I recall, in the first two Harry Potter films, Professor Flitwick had a long, white mustache that went around his head. However, in the rest of the films, he brown hair, a bowl cut, and a short mustache. Why is this?
asked Dec 3, 2016 at 19:34
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2I have often wondered why the sequence of films did not do this more aggressively for all the characters -- as the trio get older, Dumbledore, Flitwick and others appear less and less ancient. (This also happens IRL -- the older I get the less old old people seem.)– Eric TowersDec 3, 2016 at 22:52
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6@EricTowers that could have been used to great effect, but it definitely wouldn't have worked with such abrupt changes from one look of a character to another. It would have to be laid out as a continuous, consequent transition throughout the series.– leftaroundaboutDec 3, 2016 at 23:28
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3"There is one simple answer to this. Prof Flitwick is actually a timelord." — Matthew Armstrong– OriolDec 4, 2016 at 18:51
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Looks to me like someone obtained a philosophers stone.– user3559247Dec 4, 2016 at 22:15
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See also scifi.stackexchange.com/q/47468/4918 " Why did Alfonso Cuaron change Dumbledore's attire and personality for the third film? And why Michael Gambon?"– b_jonasJan 15, 2019 at 11:23
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3 Answers
It's all down to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban director, Alfonso Cuaron.
Warwick Davis explained to MoviePilot.com
When it came to the third film, of course the looks of the whole films had changed.
Alfonso [Cuaron] really wanted to put his mark on the films. And then a lot of things altered: anything from character looks, to the actual layout of Hogwarts itself.
And another thing was happening at the same time. There wasn't really anything for Flitwick in the script at all, and I got a call one day from the producer, saying basically, "There's nothing for you, but we'd love you to be in the film all the same. How do you fancy coming in and doing a kind of cameo in the film as somebody else?"
And I said, "Well, that's great, thanks for asking. I'm always thrilled to be part of all of this, anyway." So, I went in for a meeting with Alfonso, the director, and Nick Dougland, who's the make-up supervisor, and we came up with this new look for this character who would be basically the conductor of the Frog Chorus in the Great Hall. And so, we went with that.
There's been debate over whether the original Flitwick and the younger, grumpier choir master are the same character, but they are confirmed as the same character more than once, most obviously when McGonagall addresses him as 'Filius' in Deathly Hallows II.
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11Wow. Interesting. I thought it was Alfonso's fault, it turns out it must have been Yates' (seeing as Alfonso intended it to be a different character for Davis to make his cameo appearance as, and David probably conflated them, the oaf). Dec 3, 2016 at 19:51
The other reason is that Jo Rowling was unhappy with the initial portrayal of Flitwick. She said in an interview:
I must admit, I was taken aback when I saw the film Flitwick, who looks very much like a goblin/elf (I’ve never actually asked the film-makers precisely what he is), because the Flitwick in my imagination simply looks like a very small old man.
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4Could you give a link to this interview? I seem to recall reading somewhere that she intended him to be part goblin or elf.– Rand al'Thor ♦Dec 4, 2016 at 11:52
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Flitwick is portrayed by Warwick Davis. Rowling said: "I must admit, I was taken aback when I saw the film Flitwick, who looks very much like a goblin/elf (I’ve never actually asked the film-makers precisely what he is), because the Flitwick in my imagination simply looks like a very small old man." However, Rowling mentions on her official website that Flitwick is human, with "a dash of goblin ancestry." Dec 4, 2016 at 16:52
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Officially they are not intended to be the same character. However I think the hairstyle in Azkaban is slightly different to the later Flitwick.
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3Can you provide some sources on why you believe they were not intended to be the same character? Jan 15, 2019 at 3:51