Harry Potter: 10 Characters With The Most Total Movie Screentime

Part of what makes the Harry Potter series so special is its vast line-up of complex, compelling characters. In addition to Harry and his closest friends, there are dozens of fully-fleshed-out witches, wizards, creatures, and even ghosts that give the story so much depth.

However, some definitely got more attention. Not only did the movie adaptations of the Harry Potter books leave out several fan-favorite moments, but several characters had their roles significantly cut compared to the books too. Although some would argue that it was necessary to do so as it allowed those critical to the main storyline to shine, there were a few that definitely deserved a bit more.

10 Minerva McGonagall – 28:45

Minerva McGonagall isn’t the most pivotal character in Harry Potter, but her authority and reliability make her a pillar of the franchise. Appearing in seven of eight movies, she racks up 28 minutes and 45 seconds of screentime, with most of her appearances portraying her in a purely academic context.

However, the exception of this is Deathly Hallows Part 2. When the Death Eaters launch their attack on Hogwarts, she steps up to rally the school’s statues to defend them all. Powerful though these scenes may be, it would’ve been nice to see some of her more protective scenes from the book, such as when she has a showdown with Umbridge in Harry’s careers advice session.

9 Ginny Weasley – 30:15

As Harry’s love interest – and eventual wife  – Ginny held a prominent role in the movies. She played an important part in the Chamber of Secrets, opening the Chamber on Tom Riddle’s behalf, and is Harry’s rock throughout Half-Blood Prince.

However, what’s interesting is that she should, in theory, have appeared for far more than 30 minutes and 15 seconds. Ginny’s characterization and storylines run deeper in the books, where she is feistier, funnier, and louder than her onscreen counterpart. Only avid readers know that she is the one to talk Harry out of his fears of being possessed in Order of the Phoenix, and fights with her family and Harry to be allowed to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts.

8 Draco Malfoy – 31:45

Draco Malfoy is Harry’s self-proclaimed archenemy, yet only gets 31 minutes and 45 seconds of screentime. While it’s still more than most of the characters, it still comes as a great surprise to viewers considering how passionately Harry hates his schoolmate and how much he gets in the way.

True, Malfoy is magnificently nasty when he does appear. Actor Tom Felton also acts out his moral dilemma over killing Dumbledore in Half-Blood Prince to perfection. However, some of the pettier, more schoolboy elements of Malfoy’s rivalry with Harry get lost in many scenes.

7 Lord Voldemort – 37:15

Aside from living forever and establishing pure-blood dominance, Lord Voldemort’s greatest mission in life is to kill Harry. The franchise’s hero has to contend with his efforts to do all three in every Harry Potter movie (except for Prisoner of Azkaban),  totaling 37 minutes and 15 seconds of terrifying Voldemort scenes.

Across these appearances, Voldemort is played by five different actors to account for the fact audiences see him at different stages of his life. The escalating level of conflict between him and Harry in the final movies bulk out much of his screentime, as well as the scenes in which Harry and Dumbledore delve into his past in Half-Blood Prince.

6 Severus Snape – 43:15

Harry has three main enemies – Malfoy, Voldemort, and Snape – but it’s the latter who comes out on top in terms of screentime. Appearing in every Harry Potter movie, he spends most of his time bullying Harry and his other students.

It’s the last three movies that give him enough material for 43 minutes and 15 seconds onscreen. As Snape’s complete tragic backstory is unveiled in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (Part 2), all of his previous actions are framed in a totally different light. Of all the characters in the movies, his is perhaps one of the most accurately adapted, and very few key scenes are omitted.

5 Rubeus Hagrid – 45:45

Warm, friendly, and loyal, Hagrid is one of the most likeable characters in all of Harry Potter. He’s one of Harry’s best allies and is always on hand for support, which earns him his 45 minutes and 45 seconds of screentime across all eight movies.

Because he is just so charming, Hagrid’s scenes are always heartwarming. Some of them are also pretty powerful – he’s the one to carry a baby Harry into the story, and comes full circle when he carries what he thinks is Harry’s dead body out of the Forbidden Forest. There are a few other heartwarming moments that didn’t make the movies, but as most of these consist of Harry just visiting him in his hut, it’s understandable why they weren’t deemed too cinematic.

4 Albus Dumbledore – 77:15

A lot of Albus Dumbledore’s most impactful actions are made behind the scenes, beyond Harry’s realm of awareness. Mysterious as he may be, he still manages to appear on screen for 77 hours and 15 seconds, helping Harry navigate – and ultimately win – the war against Voldemort.

He only appears in seven of eight movies, but, like Voldemort, Dumbledore’s screentime increases as the stakes get higher. Once Voldemort has returned, Harry has much more adult issues to deal with that require Dumbledore’s involvement beyond just being his headmaster. Half-Blood Prince is the most Dumbledore-focused of the bunch, with him spending a great deal of time with Harry to study Voldemort’s past.

3 Hermione Granger – 205:00

Some fans feel like the movies over-exaggerated Hermione’s role in comparison to their portrayal of Ron, yet Hermione actually spends less time onscreen at 205 minutes. She appears in every movie and is the only reason Harry manages to survive as much trauma as he does.

Her intelligence and practicality make her a key part of almost all of Harry’s storylines. Harry doesn’t spend as much one-on-one time with Ron in the movies as he does in the books, with the trio instead shown as spending most of their social time as a group. However, one explanation for Hermione’s slightly lower screentime is that she spends most of the third act of Chamber of Secrets petrified.

2 Ron Weasley – 211:45

Ron is Harry’s first and best friend, with the pair clicking the second Ron enters his carriage on the Hogwarts Express. From that moment on, they’re inseparable – as proved by Ron’s 211 minutes and 45 seconds onscreen.

This is exactly the attention Ron deserves. A lot of his best moments and personality traits, unfortunately, didn’t make the transition from page to screen – and some fans feel that the adaptations cut a lot of his wit, loyalty, and empathy – but his friendship is still critical to Harry in the movies.

1 Harry Potter – 539:15

Is it really any surprise that Harry Potter’s screentime is more than double the amount of any character? As the Chosen One, the world of Harry Potter quite literally revolves around him. It’s his hero arc that forms the structure of all eight movies, ending with his triumph against Lord Voldemort.

Condensing the events of over one million words worth of content into eight movies is near-impossible. However, nearly all of Harry’s important character beats make the cut in his 539 minutes and 15 seconds onscreen. It’s tough to single out his biggest moments, but the most gratifying is definitely his final defeat of Lord Voldemort in Deathly Hallows Part 2.

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