Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard

Felton is the youngest of a family of four sons. His three older brothers frequently remind him throughout his childhood that he is the “runt of the pack” (8). Their teasing helps to keep him grounded while he struggles to navigate the surreal and privileged world of fame that the Harry Potter series has brought to his life. Each of Felton’s three brothers exerts a positive influence over the person that he becomes. Jink is a very “creative guy” who is involved in musicals and plays that Felton attends with the rest of his family; through this influence, Jink teaches Felton the “important and formative lesson” (9) that performing is a valuable and important outlet.

Chris shares his love of fishing with Felton. Tellingly, at his lowest moments in LA, Felton thinks longingly of the connectedness to nature and to himself that he feels when he fishes with Chris, and these reflections reveal that with Chris, Felton feels like a more authentic version of himself. During the filming of several Harry Potter movies, Chris also acts as a chaperone to Felton. In this capacity, Chris gives Felton direct control of the money allocated to keep the actors fed, clothed, and entertained; Felton is treated as an adult in this moment, and this is a formative element in his maturation.

Lastly, it is with Ash that Felton is first exposed to mental health conditions. Ash spends a lot of time in closed mental health wards, struggling with an undisclosed mental illness. Through Ash, Felton learns that “there is no light without shade” (14), and Felton’s own mental health struggles, which he experiences in his mid-twenties in Los Angeles, are alluded to here.

Felton credits his mother with much of his success. In his youth, his mother is not bothered by the fact that Felton “ping[s] from one enthusiasm to another” (14). She supports him but also “put[s] no undue pressure on [him] to stick with any one thing” (14). Felton is confident that his mother will support him regardless of the path he picks. She gets him an agent in London when he becomes interested in acting and accompanies him to America and then to Malaysia for his various filming projects. Felton is grateful for the time she has dedicated to support his growth as an actor. Toward the end of the autobiography, when Felton finds himself drifting away from his true values and path in Los Angeles, he reflects that he “misse[s] his mum” (248), which suggests that his mother is a touchstone of his core values: his humility, his kindness, and his love for his family and friends.