I don’t like biographies (especially not ‘celebrity’ biographies) but my daughter, Becca, recommended this one, and I do love all things Potter, so I gave it a go.
Hmmm. I don’t know what to make of it. In some ways it’s nice to get a feel of what it was like to be a child actor in the Potter movie franchise, but in other ways it’s too much drawing back the veil and chasing away the magic with humdrum reality.
Tom Felton seems to be fairly honest and self-deprecating – he admits that he was cast because he was a cocky kid and a bit of a trouble-maker and therefor fitted Malfoy’s character, and I admit that it’s quite hard not to judge the actor at least a bit by the character he played. Like Malfoy, however, the real Tom Felton had insecurities and experiences that hurt and shaped him into a well rounded person with good and back qualities (like us all).
His life so far seems to have been a bit of a rollercoaster (to coin a phrase) but I genuinely hope after reading this that the rest of his life will be happy and fulfilling.
Sarah Wray Writer 