The ‘Harry Potter’ actor who got cut from the saga over drug crimes and ended up in jail
Once Draco Malfoy’s sidekick, Jamie Waylett’s promising acting career came to an abrupt end after multiple arrests and a prison sentence.
The Harry Potter books and films often explore bullying, showing how children and teens can be cruel to classmates. Harry, of course, faced his share of pranks, insults, and even physical attacks at Hogwarts, not to mention the challenges he endured living with his aunt and uncle. Among his tormentors, many fans will remember the trio led by Draco Malfoy, with Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle backing up the most spoiled and irritating Slytherin. But after “Half-Blood Prince,” Crabbe disappeared from the saga. Why didn’t Jamie Waylett, the actor who played him, return?
Jamie Waylett’s downward spiral after Harry Potter
Jamie Waylett first auditioned for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” hoping to play Dudley Dursley, Harry’s troublesome cousin. Instead, director Chris Columbus cast him as Vincent Crabbe, giving him another way to make Harry’s life miserable, this time in a much more prominent role.
However, by 2009, after “Half-Blood Prince,” neither Crabbe nor Waylett appeared on screen again. That same year, police arrested the 19-year-old actor in his car with eight bags of marijuana and a knife. Authorities later discovered a full-scale cannabis grow operation at his mother’s house. Waylett was sentenced to one month in jail and 120 hours of community service.
A history of legal troubles
Warner Bros. quickly cut ties with Waylett, removing both the actor and the character without explanation. This wasn’t his first run-in with the law. In 2006, he was accused of possessing and using cocaine. Then in 2011, he was arrested during London protests following the police killing of Mark Duggan, facing charges of violence, property destruction, and theft.
During the protests, Waylett was caught looting a pharmacy while holding a Molotov cocktail. He was sentenced to two years in prison. By then, the once-young actor bore little resemblance to the boy fans had seen in the films, with several tattoos now covering his face. A career that once promised so much came to a complete halt, and Waylett never returned to television or film.
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