When the。 Harry Potter 。movies began casting exclusively for British talent, there were no exceptions -- not even for comedic powerhouse and family film hero Robin Williams. 。

In a new interview with the  。 In a new interview with the
。Huffington Post。

, casting director Janet Hirshenson revealed that Williams called director Chris Columbus about the part of Hagrid.
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SEE ALSO:These were the most popular Harry Potter fan fiction topics for 2016 。

"He really wanted to be in the movie, but it was a British-only edict," Hirshenson said. "And once [Columbus] said no to Robin, he wasn’t going to say yes to anybody else, that’s for sure. It couldn’t be.”Mashable Top StoriesStay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news.Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter。By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.。

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.  。 Thanks for signing up!。According to 。 The Guardian 。, Williams previously mentioned his desire to play "a couple of parts" back in 2001, when the first。

Harry Potter。 film was in production.。Robbie Coltrane, of course, was eventually cast as Hagrid in the
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The Best Robin Williams Moments 。TopicsHarry Potter。