Jack Whitehall - Jack Whitehall Auditioned For Harry Potter

Whitehall, 24, was among the child actors who tried out for the lead role of the boy wizard in the hugely successful film franchise based on J. K. Rowling's popular books, but he lost out and the part went to Radcliffe.

He tells British magazine Shortlist, "I tried out for (the role of) Harry Potter... but I didn't get past the first audition. I had read those books and I was a big fan."

The funnyman tried for another fantasy franchise as an adult with an audition for bosses of The Hobbit movies, but he lost his nerve when the casting director told him he was the first person to test for a part in The Lord of the Rings prequel.

Whitehall adds, "I was the first person in the world to audition for The Hobbit. The casting director told me that when I went in. That's a lot of pressure, isn't it? The first person in the world. That's probably why I f**ked the audition up. (I auditioned for) an elf, I think. No, a hobbit. One of the 'dwarfy' ones... I haven't read the book."