Summary
- David Tennant plays the character Barty Crouch Jr. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a devoted follower of Voldemort who tortured Neville Longbottom's parents.
- Tennant's portrayal of Barty is chilling and unhinged, with memorable lines that emphasize his character's proud and twisted nature.
- Barty escapes from Azkaban and becomes a key part of the plan to revive Voldemort, but is ultimately captured and sentenced to the Dementor's Kiss. David Tennant is well-known for his other roles, including the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who and Crowley in Good Omens.
It goes without saying that the Harry Potter movies are renowned for their star-studded cast. Whilst some stars have appeared in the franchise since the beginning, the movies love throwing in some recognizable faces along the way – even if they only appear on our screens very briefly.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire marked a few actors’ debut to the Harry Potter series, including David Tennant. Whilst his character only appears in a few scenes, Tennant creates a memorable performance which has been celebrated by many Harry Potter fans – so who does David Tennant play in Harry Potter, and what happens to his character?
Who Does David Tennant Play In Harry Potter?
In Harry Potter’s fourth installment, David Tennant plays Barty Crouch Jr., one of Voldemort’s devoted followers. Barty had joined the Death Eaters during his teenage years and was incredibly active throughout the First Wizarding War. He was partly responsible for the horrific torturing of Frank and Alice Longbottom, Neville Longbottom’s parents.
Alongside Bellatrix Lestrange, Barty tortured Frank and Alice with the Cruciatus Curse – one of the infamous Unforgivable Curses. This incessant torture drove Neville’s parents to insanity. This tragic event is referenced throughout the Harry Potter franchise as it resulted in Frank and Alice losing their memories, meaning that they were unable to recognize their own son whenever he visited them at St. Mungo’s Hospital.
Following Voldemort’s defeat in the First Wizarding War, the Death Eaters were put on trial. Barty initially attempted to conceal his involvement with the Death Eaters, but he was ultimately exposed for his crimes during the trial of Igor Karkaroff. In hope of reducing his own sentence, Karkaroff publicly revealed Barty to be a Death Eater and exposed him for his horrific torture of Frank and Alice. This was a moment of humiliation for Barty because he was amongst the audience at Karkaroff’s trial, and his father, Barty Crouch Sr., was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, meaning that he was the judge of Karkaroff’s trial.
In Goblet of Fire’s book, Barty attempts to protest his innocence to his father. He begs for mercy, repeatedly yelling: “Father, I didn’t! I didn't, I swear it, Father”. However, in his portrayal of Barty, David Tennant puts his own spin on the character, making him appear incredibly unhinged. During the movie’s adaptation of this scene, it’s clear that Barty is guilty. He doesn’t even attempt to protest his innocence. Instead, Barty seems proud to have humiliated his father on such a colossal scale – something which is emphasized by Tennant’s memorable delivery of the line: “Hello, father” before he is taken away to Azkaban.
In the book, Barty is described as having a constant eye twitch. However, David Tennant decided to make Barty constantly lick his lips instead – something which makes Barty’s Death Eater reveal to be particularly memorable. His constant lip licking makes the character appear terrifyingly unhinged, and even gives the character a snake-like appearance, paralleling the animal which is featured in the Death Eaters’ Dark Mark. After Barty is revealed to be a Death Eater, his own father sentences him to an indefinite stay at Azkaban. However, even this punishment fails to prevent the character’s later crime spree.
What Happens to Barty Crouch Jr.?
Barty famously managed to escape from Azkaban, becoming the first prisoner to ever accomplish this. Using Polyjuice Potion, Barty’s own mother decided to take his place in Azkaban, allowing her son to escape. She later died in prison, which made it look as though Barty himself had died. His cunning escape remained a secret for many years.
Barty ended up staying with Barty Crouch Sr., where he was kept virtually as his father’s prisoner. In order to prevent others from discovering this corrupt family secret, his father forced him to constantly wear an Invisibility Cloak. After all, Barty Crouch Sr. Would face even further humiliation if it was revealed that his son had escaped from Azkaban, seeing as it was him who sentenced Barty there in the first place. Whilst Barty Crouch Sr. Attempted to dissuade his son from rejoining the Death Eaters, these efforts later proved to be futile. During the Quidditch World Cup, Barty managed to break free from his father’s captivity. Following this escape, he projected the Dark Mark into the sky, summoning his fellow Death Eaters and foreshadowing Voldemort’s return.
After Barty had rejoined the Death Eaters, he became a key part of their plan to revive the Dark Lord in physical form. This plan required Barty to use Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself as Mad-Eye Moody. Working as the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Barty was able to station himself at Hogwarts where he was determined to bring Harry to Voldemort.
Using a Confundus Charm, Barty entered Harry’s name into the Goblet of Fire. Due to the power of the Confundus Charm, the Goblet was forced to select Harry to participate in the Triwizard Tournament – even though Cedric Diggory had already been selected as Hogwarts’ Champion, and Harry was deemed too young to participate in the Tournament. However, once the Goblet had selected Harry’s name, he was unable to back out of the Tournament and was forced to represent Hogwarts, alongside Cedric.
Whilst disguised as Harry’s Professor, Barty managed to guide the young wizard through to the Tournament’s third and final round. Before this round began, Barty was able to transform the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey. After Cedric and Harry grabbed the cup, they were transported to a graveyard where the Death Eaters lay in wait. After brutally killing Cedric, the Dark Lord’s followers took Harry’s blood and used it in a potion to restore Voldemort with a physical form. Whilst Barty was successful in his plan to bring back Voldemort, his own downfall was only moments away.
Following Harry’s return from the graveyard, Barty informs Harry that he needs to speak to him in private concerning Voldemort’s return. Once Barty has managed to get Harry alone, he reveals to him that he was responsible for putting Harry’s name into the Goblet of Fire and for leading the young wizard into the graveyard that night. After this reveal, Barty suddenly attempts to kill Harry, believing that he will be greatly rewarded by Voldemort if he manages to kill the Chosen One.
However, just in time, Barty is seized by Snape and Dumbledore who force the Death Eater to reveal the truth via the use of a truth potion. Barty then admits that he has been imprisoning the real Mad-Eye Moody inside his own magical trunk. The cunning Death Eater only kept Moody alive so that he could regularly take his hair to use in the Polyjuice Potion, which he kept concealed in a hip flask. After unwillingly drinking the truth potion, Barty transforms back to himself, where he is then identified by Dumbledore.
Barty is then sent back to Azkaban. Although he protests that he will be “welcomed back like a hero”, the Death Eater ultimately receives a fate worse than death. Barty is given the Dementor’s Kiss – the term used for when a Dementor sucks out a person’s soul. Despite his tragic fate, Barty has made a lasting impression in the Harry Potter fandom, particularly due to David Tennant’s spectacular portrayal of the villain.
What Are David Tennant's Other Roles?
Aside from Barty Crouch Jr., David Tennant is renowned for his portrayal of the tenth Doctor in Doctor Who. Following his iconic performance in this role, many would consider him the best Doctor in the show’s history. Tennant also stars in the popular TV Series, Good Omens, which is adapted from Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name. Acting opposite Michael Sheen, Tennant plays the lovable demon Crowley with as much charisma as showcased in his Harry Potter role.
Tennant is also famed for his role as Detective Inspector Alec Hardy in the popular TV series, Broadchurch, and has also starred in Jessica Jones as Kilgrave. Off the screen, David Tennant is famed for his theater work and starred as Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare’s Company 2008 production. Tennant is still an incredibly active actor and has recently starred in the recent season of Staged, the comedy show which was originally created by Tennant and Sheen during lockdown. Clearly, David Tennant is a household name and his array of iconic roles makes him a recognizable face.