Malfoy's henchman Goyle is almost as recognized as Draco himself, so why is the character absent for much of The Prisoner of Azkaban’s action?

Henchman Gregory Goyle is almost as memorable a presence as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movie adaptations, but why is the character absent for much of The Prisoner of Azkaban’s action? Controversial author JK Rowling’s novels remain perpetually popular bestsellers despite the online antics of their divisive author, with some fans going as far as recreating the world of Harry Potter in Animal Crossing. The films adapted from the book series, meanwhile, are widely admired blockbuster successes, adored by fans, and buoyed by the commendation of critics, all the way from Home Alone director Chris Columbus’ first two films through to the darker later efforts from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them director David Yates.

But the third movie, 2004’s Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is often singled out as the most daring and interesting of the seven films in the series. Directed by Gravity’s Alfonso Cuaron, this adaptation of the third novel signaled a tonal switch into darker territory for the series. It could have been darker (an early draft of the Prison of Azkaban featured Dracula himself), but the film featured themes of death, loyalty, and tragedy whilst its complex story incorporated elements of time travel into the magic of the franchise. It’s a terrific, creepy movie, and one that nails the tone of the source novel. But for some reason, one of the franchise’s most familiar faces goes inexplicably AWOL for a lot of the movie’s runtime.

Luckily, there is an answer to the mystery of Goyle's disappearance. Alongside Crabbe, Slytherin student Gregory Goyle is an instantly recognizable lesser baddie from the series. A gormless bully who accompanies the slimy Draco Malfoy everywhere, Goyle is his muscle and plays both an imposing presence and a comic relief at different points throughout the series. The series tried to avoid recasting actors who aged out of their roles, even retaining Dudley's actor despite his weight loss. So why isn’t Goyle present for one of Malfoy’s most iconic scenes in which the snide minor villain gets a well-deserved smack across the mouth from Hermoine?

The answer is quite simple: Goyle actor Josh Herdman injured his arm and as a result was forced to drop out of filming for action sequences. As a result, the character of Goyle was replaced by a Slytherin student referred to as “Pike”(played by minor Game of Thrones actor Bronson Webb) in the film's credits for the rest of the movie. It’s an understandable absence, and Herdman returned to the role for the remaining films unlike his co-star Jamie Waylett who left later in the Potter franchise when he was arrested for marijuana possession. As a result, Crabbe, like the flying car of the second film, never returned to Harry Potter. Instead, the death scene intended for Waylett’s character went to Herdman’s Goyle in the final film of the series.

Since Harry Potter's end, Herdman has gone on to risk more than a filming-limiting broken limb by becoming an MMA fighter. Despite this career change, his onscreen roles have not dried up, with the actor appearing in the 2018 flop Robin Hood and the TV spy thriller series Alex Rider earlier this year. Unfortunately, the injured arm wasn’t his last scrape with peril, in 2015 he was also thrown from a motorbike in an accident which fortunately left him without serious injuries.

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