Steven Spielberg explained why he turned down ‘Harry Potter’ movie
Steven Spielberg’s ability behind a camera has been entertaining audiences of all ages for decades now. Outside of his iconic movies, Spielberg always had a knack for bringing a sense of wonder to every situation, from the war scenes of Saving Private Ryan to the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. Given the man’s pedigree, theatregoers had missed an opportunity when Spielberg backed out of one of the most lucrative film projects of all time.
During a recent interview with RRR director S.S. Rajamouli, Spielberg talked about putting his family before anything else, saying: “Kate Capshaw and I started raising a family and we started having children. The choice I had to make was taking a job that would move me to another country for four or five months where I wouldn’t see my family every day”.
Though Spielberg fell in love with Capshaw on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, he knew that the commitment to raising kids meant having to be there for his family. Since this was the early 2000s, that meant Spielberg passing on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Due to the production decision to shoot in London, Spielberg mentioned wanting to commit to his family before anything else. He said: “I chose to turn down the first Harry Potter to basically spend that next year and a half with my family, my young kids growing up. So I’d sacrificed a great franchise, which today looking back I’m very happy to have done, to be with my family”.
The first instalment of the franchise did work out for the best, though, bringing in Chris Columbus into the fold to add his trademark sense of wonder to the project. Spielberg did keep busy in the meantime, crafting AI: Artificial Intelligence because it allowed him to come home to his family every day. While the idea of having the man behind Indiana Jones direct another iconic franchise sounds like a film lovers’ dream, Spielberg understood the need to be close to those you are closest to.
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