One of the biggest misses in the Harry Potter adaptations is the absence of Peeves, the poltergeist. A mischievous spectral creature known for his colourful attire and pottymouth got the chop because he wasn’t technically central to the story’s plot.
The makers didn’t want to bloat the films, already inflated at their lengthy runtimes, with every detail from the books, no matter how dear they were to fans. However, the error may seem even more egregious when you find out that comedy legend Rik Mayall was cast as Peeves and even shot his scenes for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Even though Mayall was cut from Harry Potter, he joked that this was “the most exciting film” he ever did.
Mayall, who had an illustrious career in comedy and was widely recognised for his contributions to shows like The Young Ones, Blackadder, Bottom, and Drop Dead Fred, was already a household name in Britain. His creative approach to humour helped shape the alternative comedy scene in the 1980s.
Despite Mayall’s limited interest in the Harry Potter books, he took on the role of Peeves and spent three weeks filming on location. It wasn’t until much later that he discovered all his scenes had been removed from the final cut.
Mayall, who passed away after a heart attack in 2014, aged 56, is one of the few British talents of that era whose contribution to the Harry Potter-verse remains unseen but not unappreciated.
Years ago, he had spoken about his experience while on the set of Evil Calls. Mayall shared his experience and thoughts on the whole fiasco in an interview with InternetGore.com. He humorously recounted how he ended up playing Peeves and jokingly referred to the resulting film as “shit.” Mayall revealed that his scenes were cut without his knowledge and how his children believed he played the role of Hagrid until they saw the movie.
Although Mayall didn’t provide a specific reason for Peeves’ exclusion, he mentioned that his humorous antics caused distractions on set, often making the child actors break character during filming. Despite the setbacks, it is evident that Mayall would have delivered an outstanding portrayal of the mischievous poltergeist.
In typical fun Mayall manner, he recollected, “I did it, I went and fucking did it. I played the part of Peeves in Harry Potter. I went home, and I got the money—significant. Then a month later they said, ‘Rik, sorry about this, you’re not in the film.’ But I still got the money. So that was the most exciting film I ever did because I got the oodle, and I wasn’t in it. Fantastic.”
Perhaps the HBO adaptation will make up for the absence of Peeves from the OG films, but Mayall’s exclusion will forever remain a loss to pop culture and its legacy.
Harry Potter is currently streaming on Netflix.
