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

Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 304
Release Date: October 18, 2022

“At lunchtime we would congregate in the canteen, which was always a fun moment. There was no separation of roles. An electrician would be queuing for his lunch next to a witch and a goblin, then a cameraman, a carpenter and Hagrid”.
  
Tom Felton’s adolescence was anything but ordinary. His early rise to fame in beloved films like The Borrowers catapulted him into the limelight, but nothing could prepare him for what was to come after he landed the iconic role of the Draco Malfoy, the bleached blonde villain of the Harry Potter movies. For the next ten years, he was at the center of a huge pop culture phenomenon and yet, in between filming, he would go back to being a normal teenager trying to fit into a normal school. 
 
Speaking with great candor and his signature humor, Tom shares his experience growing up as part of the wizarding world while also trying to navigate the muggle world. He tells stories from his early days in the business like his first acting gig where he was mistaken for fellow blonde child actor Macaulay Culkin and his Harry Potter audition where, in a very Draco-like move, he fudged how well he knew the books the series was based on (not at all). He reflects on his experiences working with cinematic greats such as Alan Rickman, Sir Michael Gambon, Dame Maggie Smith, and Ralph Fiennes (including that awkward Voldemort hug). And, perhaps most poignantly, he discusses the lasting relationships he made over that decade of filming, including with Emma Watson, who started out as a pesky nine-year-old whom he mocked for not knowing what a boom mic was but who soon grew into one of his dearest friends. Then, of course, there are the highs and lows of fame and navigating life after such a momentous and life-changing experience.
 
Tom Felton’s BEYOND THE WAND is an entertaining, funny, and poignant must-read for any Harry Potter fan. Prepare to meet a real-life wizard. 

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Beyond the Wand is an intimate look at Felton’s life growing up a wizard and beyond as he deals with the fame of being part of the Harry Potter franchise and what happened after it all finished.

I didn’t know anything about Felton’s life outside of his role as Draco Malfoy, so I jumped at the chance to learn more about him as a person. Felton details his life and acting career before Harry Potter as well as how everything fell into place for him to secure the role of Draco.

Each chapter focuses on a specific topic: family, friends, moments during filming, Dramione, and some stuff I was not aware of in his later life. My two favourite chapters were: Dramione or The Chicken and the Duck and Alan Rickman’s Earlobes or Don’t Tread on my F*cking Cloak!

I would definitely recommend Beyond the Wand to any Harry Potter fan, especially the Tom Felton fans. His insights into the character and Harry Potter world as a whole are delightful and his behind the scenes stories are hilarious and had me laughing out loud while searching for my partner so I could tell him all about it. It’s a novel full of stories to be shared.

Overall, Beyond the Wand was everything I was hoping it would be. It’s full of funny anecdotes, insights into Felton’s life before and after Harry Potter, and the realities of mental illness. 

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Have you read Beyond the Wand? What did you think?