One of the best things about the first two Harry Potter films is how closely the actors match our imagination of them from the books. From Harry’s eyes, which exude a haunting quality, to Hermione’s bushy hair, McGonagall’s stern frown, and Dumbledore’s grand silver beard — the casting feels right.

The first film begins with Dumbledore collecting the street lights with his Deluminator, introducing us to the whimsical world of magic that Harry is about to discover. When Harry approaches the Sorting Hat with his fellow students, we see Dumbledore seated at the centre, taller than most teachers around him, sending a clear message: he is in charge of the place where our hero’s magical adventure will unfold.

Hopefully all that rambling makes it clear what I’m getting at: Dumbledore is kind of an important character. And Richard Harris’ performance captured both fans of the books and regular moviegoers.

Two movies later, Michael Gambon replaced Richard Harris as Dumbledore, and that’s when I started to turn a blind eye to this character. He is no longer the Dumbledore from the book.

For years, I’ve heard people defend Gambon’s interpretation by saying that he brought the character’s dark side to the screen — something Richard Harris supposedly couldn’t have done. But the more I look into Harris’ other works, the more I see that not only could he have done what Dumbledore required in the later films, he would have done it with grace.

To be clear: both Richard Harris and Michael Gambon were terrific actors. Any flaws in Gambon’s interpretation have far more to do with the directing and scripts of the later films than with his ability.

Here are the reasons why the two Dumbledore-s are so distinctively different — and why the first one is distinctively better.

(D = Dumbledore. It’s a long name, okay?)

He Makes Hogwarts Feel Like Home

Dumbledore may be a man of secrets and a dark past. He makes mistakes like anyone else. But students — particularly Harry — always look at him and see someone who wants to welcome them into his school.

That is exactly what Richard Harris gives us in the first two films.

In the books, Dumbledore cracks clever jokes, deflects malicious comments with humour, and makes casual conversation with Neville, Ron, and other students besides Harry. Harris doesn’t get as many scenes as we might like due to runtime constraints, but with the limited screen time he’s given, he makes it absolutely clear how much Dumbledore cares about Hogwarts as a home.

Even though book readers know he makes unforgivable mistakes that repeatedly put Hogwarts in danger, Harris’ Dumbledore feels inseparable from the school. The way he talks about Fawkes, the way he tells McGonagall that the school is no longer safe in Chamber of Secrets — you have no trouble believing he belongs there.

This is the wise old man whose bookshelves you’d want to explore, whose office would fill you with wonder.

This side is almost entirely missing from Gambon’s Dumbledore. He rarely expresses interest even in his own office. Without reading the books, one could easily assume Gambon’s D can’t wait to leave Hogwarts behind.

He Only Raises His Voice When It’s Called For

Which is… once.

Harris’ Dumbledore shouts “Silence!” to gain the attention of over a thousand students, and then immediately returns to speaking calmly and quietly.

Gambon’s Dumbledore, by contrast, raises his voice constantly.

We don’t even need to revisit the infamous “DIDYAPUTYOURNAMEINTHEGOBLETOFFIAH?” moment. He yells Harry’s name when it shoots out of the Goblet. He glares at Harry as the boy walks toward the champions. He gives the champions one second to gather before snapping “quickly” at them. He shouts at students to do their homework in Order of the Phoenix.

His conversation with Harry after Sirius’ death inspires little to no emotional resonance.

And when Gambon’s Dumbledore shouts “Silence!”, it sounds less like authority and more like a desperate threat.

Occasionally, there’s an attempt at humour: a joke here, a leg slap there. But because he’s so often indifferent or snappy toward the students, these moments never quite land.

Unspoken Power

One of the most common arguments in favor of Gambon’s Dumbledore is that he portrays power better — that he can perform stunts Richard Harris could not due to age.

It’s true that Dumbledore can be terrifying. Voldemort himself fears him. But terrifying doesn’t necessarily mean physical activeness or grand movements.

You can be frightening with a calm look. A subtle wand flick. Stillness. That is the power Dumbledore possesses in the books; and it’s the kind Richard Harris would have brought to the later films.

Gambon’s Dumbledore is restless and twitchy. He shouts, winks, and reacts to every moment as though it’s life-or-death, making his power feel reactive rather than a deeply rooted quality.

Harris (and Jude Law, later) embrace the intrigue of the character. Gambon works hard to show us that Dumbledore is powerful. And in the end, that effort is all we see: a performance of power, not power itself.

As for stunts, the solution is obvious: stunt doubles. Close-ups of Harris’ expressions would have done the rest.

Nuances and Minimal Expressions

Anyone who has read all seven books knows Dumbledore is deeply emotional — just exceptionally good at hiding it.

Richard Harris captures this beautifully.

Whether Harry is in the hospital wing, makes it into Gryffindor, faces the troll, or watches Dumbledore get sacked by the Ministry, Harris gives us just enough emotion to understand what Dumbledore is thinking while preserving his mystique.

This is the Dumbledore whose shameful past would genuinely shock people. The one whose confession — “I cared too much” — would hit like a thunderclap. This restraint is crucial. Because Dumbledore so carefully regulates himself in the books, his emotional collapse in the cave in Book Six is devastating. Gambon’s Dumbledore, however, wears his emotions openly from the start. As a result, that same scene in Movie Six barely registers.

That Twinkle in the Eye

This does not mean literal winking: something Gambon attempts once or twice. A twinkle is subtle: amusement, mischief, warmth, gladness, flickering briefly behind the eyes. That’s how Dumbledore is described in the books.

Perhaps it isn’t fair to say that Michael Gambon does not give Dumbledore the twinkle in the eye because, well, it is something you either have or you don’t. And Richard Harris is all twinkle.

His Styling

Look, I’m not sure whose idea it was to dress Dumbledore down from Prisoner of Azkaban onward, but the drab grey outfits and the tied beard certainly change how the character is perceived — drab greys and tied beards  and all.

From the moment Hagrid warns Vernon not to insult Dumbledore, we’re told he’s a larger-than-life legend. In Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets, Harris wears magnificent embroidered robes that make him tower over others, visually living up to the hype while emphasizing his eccentricity.

From Movie Three onward, Dumbledore fades into the background. No amount of yelling can compensate for that.

Anyway…

Above are my interpretations of the two Dumbledore-s as a Harry Potter book fan.

But what if I weren’t a book fan?

If I’d gone into the films blind, my impressions would be simple: Richard Harris’ Dumbledore is a wise, Merlin-like figure with many secrets. Michael Gambon’s Dumbledore is a grumpy grandpa who can’t wait to beat up Voldemort with his bare hands and retire.

And that, I think, says it all.