Perhaps one of the hardest parts of director Chris Columbus’ job in adapting the beloved Harry Potter series to the big screen was in casting its young stars. If he chose wisely, he would have a protagonist capable of anchoring the eight films based on J.K. Rowling’s seven books. If he chose poorly, millions of loyal fans may have written off the films entirely. Luckily, he struck gold in Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron) and Emma Watson (Hermione). But then again, so did the then-unknown kids who now rank among the world’s most famous — and highly paid — actors.
