John Hurt has admitted that no one knew that the Harry Potter franchise would be as big as it has become.
The latest instalment in the saga, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is one of the biggest grossing movies of the year taking over $929 million at the global box office.
Hurt reprises his role as Mr Ollivander in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which has been split into two parts.
In an interview with The Metro the actor said: "I was in it from the first one and it wasn't a circus then - they didn't even know if it was going to be a success.
"The books were successful, but there are plenty of precedents to say books can be successful and films aren't."
He added: "Then it took off and became the biggest film franchise in film history. You see it for what it is - it's a phenomenon."
The first part of The Deathly Hallows hits cinema's in November of next year with the final part in the summer of 2011.
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