British actor Jamie Waylett is best known for his portrayal of Vincent Crabbe, member of the Draco Malfoy posse in six of the seven Harry Potter films.
He did some of his growing up on a sound stage, busy working at a young age. He portrayed a bully. It seems to have stuck.
Mr. Waylett's very recognizable face turned up on something other than a large screen recently. London police were perusing hours of CCTV footage following the destructive riots last August, and weren't they surprised to see the lad in an unscripted scene.
The former Hogwarts student happened to have a Molotov cocktail in his hand, in the center of a mob.
Petrol bombs being illegal, the actor was arrested. And to add to his difficulties, the police then found a little forest of cannabis plants at the flat he shared with his mother and siblings.
Again, Mr. Waylett was found to be in possession of illegal substances and the charges were elevated. It seems quite insignificant that he was also charged with possession of stolen goods because he was involved in looting a bottle of champagne from Sainsbury's.
Will Jamie Waylett's outstanding portrayal of a bad person work against him when he appears before a magistrate next month? You'd hope the judicial system could look beyond typecasting and deal with the actor in an unbiased way.
Perhaps some psychologists could be called in to testify, to explain Mr. Waylett's behavior as that of a young man who has already reached a peak in his profession and is now lost, like so many other child actors before him.
Surely he made enough money from his work on the Harry Potter series to cover the expense of a stinging fine.
Will J.K. Rowling feel compelled to reach out to someone who put a face to one of her imaginary characters, in an attempt to not have that face associated with crime?
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