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 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.

Tom Felton’s Beyond the Wand is an entertaining, funny, and poignant must-read for any Harry Potter fan. Prepare to meet a real-life wizard.

When I was exploring memoirs, biographies, and autobiographies that I wanted to read for Non-Fiction November, this one kept popping up. It seemed pretty popular. It was just released last October in 2022. The audiobook is even read by Tom Felton, himself, so I thought I’d give it a shot. 

Like millions (or maybe billions) in the reading world, I love the Harry Potter series. I was in high school when the first book came out, but I wasn’t really into reading at that time (I was all about the soap operas – specifically Sunset Beach and my all-time favorite, Days of Our Lives), so I hadn’t heard of Harry Potter until the first movie came out in 2001. I was at my grandma’s house for Christmas with my dad’s side of the family, and one of my cousins’ kids brought the first Harry Potter movie to watch after dinner. I was mesmerized by this world. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. Then I found out it was based on a set of books. At the time, four books were out, but I only bought the first three. I devoured them and then got the fourth, which is my favorite of the whole series. I was in college at this time, around 21 or 22. As the movies kept coming out, I would watch each one. So while I didn’t grow up with Harry Potter, I fondly remember that series being part of my twenties. 

This was a really interesting look at Tom Felton’s life. I didn’t know much about him until I read this book. I saw him in the Harry Potter series and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but that’s it. I enjoyed listening to him tell his life story. He gave a very enthusiastic delivery. He sounded rather cheerful, like he was having fun reading his book. He even laughs at some comical parts, which was cute. (This was a nice change from the serious, almost depressing, delivery of Matthew Perry’s autobiography that I listened to before this one.)

I enjoyed getting to know Tom. He shares about his childhood, family, and how he got into acting. There are rather amusing stories and situations that he got himself into as a child and teenager, even into his young adult years. He’s the youngest of four boys, and he got picked on quite a bit by his older brothers, but not in a devious way; more in a playful way. 

If you’re a Potterhead (which is an extreme Harry Potter fan) or just a regular fan, like me, you’ll really enjoy this book. He spends the majority of it talking about how he got the role of Draco Malfoy and his time in this world. He talks a lot about behind-the-scenes and shares some really funny stories. There was quite a lot of tom-foolery going on (lol, see what I did there?) He also shares quite a bit of his thoughts, experiences, and relationships with different actors from the movies. Since his role in the movies wasn’t one of the main roles, he grew up with a pretty normal childhood. He didn’t get swept up in the dark side of Hollywood like so many child actors. Quite surprisingly, he was teased about being in the Harry Potter movies by his older brothers and friends at school. He didn’t really see himself as a serious actor when he was younger. 

But as he got older, life caught up to him, and so did all the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, where he ended up in rehab. Now, compared to other stories of Hollywood stars who dealt with various addictions and ended up in rehab, Tom’s experience is very mild. He dealt with some mental health issues, which he advocates for at the end of the book, but he never got into anything hardcore or had any severe or dangerous outcomes, like Matthew Perry. 

I will call out the woke when I see it, and like most Hollywood stars, it’s obvious that he leans left, and there were a few moments where I was rolling my eyes when he got a bit snowflaky and woke. Typical celebrity. But it was tolerable and easy to ignore and move on. There were also some parts where he sounded more pretentious than humble (and he’s definitely a cheeky guy, which comes off as arrogant), but I thought his stories were interesting. 

Overall, this was a fun audiobook that I got through in just a couple of days. Tom is a natural storyteller. He was entertaining to listen to, warm, and honest. He had some great positive messages about mental health at the end, and what it means to truly be “rich in life.” It leaves you on a positive note, feeling good. Definitely recommend!