Beyond the Wand
The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
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Narrated by:
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Tom Felton
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By:
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Tom Felton
From the magical moments on set as Draco Malfoy to the challenges of growing up in the spotlight, get a backstage pass into Tom Felton’s life on and off the big screen in this #1 New York Times bestseller.
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.
Now with a new chapter Felton delves into his experience of fame, Beyond the Wand is an entertaining, funny, and poignant must-read for any Harry Potter fan. Prepare to meet a real-life wizard.
I never intended to listen to that book.
First because I don’t often read no fiction and second because Tom Felton’s name didn’t ring any bell.
BUT
I kept seeing bookstagrammers loving the book so I looked into it and… realize that in fact, Tom Felton was Draco Malfoy!
I knew the names of the actors playing Harry, Ron and Hermione but not Draco.
As Harry Potter was the book that got me into reading in English again (I was too impatient to wait for the translation in French) and given that I visited the Harry Potter studio this summer, it seemed like fate.
What I got was something totally unexpected!
I had NO IDEA of what a great guy Tom Felton was!!
Candid, self-deprecating, still able to be amazed by what happened to him, humble, down to earth despite his extraordinary experience and giving his time to many charities.
I truly liked his brand of humor and his typically British narration, interlaced with “mate” , “my most winning smile”, “knob head” etc.
From his childhood with three older brothers, some up to no good but all protective, to the beaches of Malibu and back to London, we follow Tom in his tribulations.
Starting as a very young age in commercials that had him and his mom flown to New York where he stole Cauley Mc Culkin’s fans for a few hours, he nearly fell into acting by fate or random.
For a very very long time Tom didn’t choose to have a career in acting. He simply followed the flow. And enjoyed the process.
He also had the chance to live a normal teenage life between filming. Stating clearly that he certainly didn’t have the pressure Emma, Daniel and Rupert had.
He did some stint that could have been damaging for his career as Draco but fortunately, all was well in the end.
I loved learning more about his family, brothers and his very cool and protective mom. And I enjoyed immensely listening to him talk about the actors and directors who made Harry Potter’s movies what they are now.
Never had he a bad word for them but always did he give us their quirks and personalities, their acting process… it truly was fascinating and very interesting to listen to some of what happened backstage to make the movies happen.
Also, Tom Felton touched and moved me.
Because he also gives us his naked truth. With candor he is talking about his genetic heritage making him prone to depression. About his need to be close to his family. To have a normal conversation with “real” people. To help others and give back what has been given to him on one of his most somber days.
After listening to this, Tom Felton seems someone I’d love to know in real life. To go fishing with or go help distract sick children or simply, to go for a swim in the ocean.
Tom Felton is funny, often the jokester but he also is feeling everything. He is strong and fragile at the same time. Flawed, like everyone of us. Real. And quite far from Draco Malfoy’s arrogance and sneer at the beginning of the series.
And of course, him narrating his own story was the cherry on top.
Truly, if you are a Potter fan, give that book a chance. I bet you won’t be disappointed!
I had no idea what a great guy Tom Felton was!
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Great book
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Very interesting
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Tom Felton est un excellent narrateur et captive son public.
J’ai passé un excellent moment en sa compagnie, entre rires et larmes.
L’homme derrière l’acteur
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Thanks for sharing ❤️
Unexpected Journey
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