No matter how you feel about the mean-spirited Draco Malfoy, actor Tom Felton is well aware that the character he's played for 10 years garners mixed reactions from die-hard "Harry Potter" fans. "Either people loved him or loved to hate him," Felton told during a sit-down chat in preparation for the release of the wildly anticipated "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2."
Even Felton himself has conflicting feelings about how people react to Malfoy. "It's weird — I never quite know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that Draco is generally ... a pleasantly accepted character," the star said, adding, "I always find it weird when 6-year-olds' parents say, 'You're his favorite character!' I'm always like, 'I'm not sure if I should be. I'm not sure that reflects your great parenting skills!"
But that doesn't mean the MTV Movie Awards winner didn't want his character to win the ongoing "Harry Potter" World Cup. For weeks, "Harry Potter" fans have participated in the bracket game, which will declare the best character in the saga. While Felton's Draco did make it very far in the tournament before being bested by Final Four competitor Sirius Black ("That's a little unfair, I think — don't you?" the 23-year-old pondered to MTV's Josh Horowitz), it wasn't quite far enough to take the whole thing. "I'm bitter about not making it to the final post, but at the same time, I'm very grateful. It's awesome," the actor said.
See the full bracket and vote!
Still, Felton, despite being voted out, was more than willing to play along in the World Cup. When asked whom he thinks should advance past the Final Four (Hermione Granger vs. Severus Snape, Sirius Black vs. Ron Weasley) and win the whole thing, the actor said, with no hesitation, "Snape." He continued, "Everyone loves Snape. He has the greatest story of the lot, I think, where you don't know which he's going to be the whole way."
While the "Harry Potter" World Cup picks the best character in the series, not just the final film, Felton still thinks Snape takes the cake. "He has a beautiful ending, doesn't he?," Felton asked, adding, "I didn't expect that at all. It's so nice to see this hard character Snape turn into this soft shell of a man."
In short, by Felton's prediction, Severus Snape is "gonna take the crown, man."
Whether you agree or disagree with Felton's pick, you can still vote throughout the day on Monday, July 11. Then, the winner of the "Harry Potter" World Cup will be announced later that evening during MTV's live stream of the "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" red-carpet premiere in New York.
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