Madame Maxime to be portrayed by a man. Really!

  March 29, 2005 at 9:44 AM ET
  Geri     HPANA (via icTeesside)
  harry potter and the goblet of fire, goblet of fire, ian whyte


Former British professional basketball player turned actor, Ian Whyteopens in new window, will be portraying some scenes as Madame Maxime (played by Frances de la Touropens in new window) in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

The 7ft 1in actor previously played basketball for the Newcastle Eagles retiring in April 2003 and started a new career in acting. He was immediately signed to play the role as the Predator in AVP: Alien vs. Predator that was released last year, which then led to his casting in the Goblet of Fire movie.

When asked by the reporter about playing the love interest of Robbie Coltrane in the new Potter film Whyte had this to sayopens in new window:

I can hardly believe it myself. I'm not a handsome chap or a good actor - I'm 7ft tall and that's about it! I'm a bloke in a costume but its terrifically exciting, darned hard work, and desperately challenging both physically and mentally.

On the reason as to why he was offered the job:

The reason Frances needed a body double for long shots was that Madame Maxine is eight feet tall - my territory. Francis is a lovely lady, by the way. I can't say too much about it because it's top secret, but for Potter enthusiasts it's amazing, a massive production. It was very taxing because my work was much more technical than on Predator.

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