The 77-year-old star said he declined the popular part because he did not want to fill in for the actor who dismissed his talent as a performer, reported The Independent.
"When he died - he played Dumbledore, the wizard - I played the real wizard (Gandalf in the 'Lord Of The Rings' trilogy) of course - but when they called me up and said would I be interested in being in the 'Harry Potter' films, they didn't say what part.
The "LOTR" star recalled that Harris had called him and fellow thespians Derek Jacobi and Kenneth Branagh as "technically brilliant, but passionless".
Harris passed away after "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and actor Michael Gambon eventually took up the part.
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