Jason Isaacs has revealed he almost did not land his role on The White Lotus after stumbling at the audition stage.

The Harry Potter actor, 61, played Timothy Ratcliff in the smash hit drama and had viewers across the world glued to their screens with his gripping performance.

His star turn on the third series of the HBO show earned Jason a new legion of fans, after achieving fame for his role of Lucius Malfoy in the film adaptations of JK Rowling’s books.

But it almost never happened, with the actor explaining that, despite spending more than three decades on the screen, his auditioning technique had not improved.

He told Schön! Magazine: ‘Because I don’t normally audition, I was the same bumbling, stuttering, insecure fool that I had been for the first ten years of my career.’

Jason previously played the father of Harry Potter’s nemesis in the immensely popular movies, donning a blonde wig throughout eight films from 2002 to 2011, and during the interview he reflected on his audition for that role two decades ago.

Jason Isaacs has revealed he almost did not land his role on The White Lotus after stumbling at the audition stage 

The Harry Potter actor, 61, played Timothy Ratcliff in the smash hit drama and had viewers across the world glued to their screens

‘I wanted his voice to drip with enтιтlement and arrogance and scorn,’ he said. ‘I came up with his voice and they weren’t going to let me do it. 

‘I did the first rehearsal, and [Chris Columbus and David Heyman] went, “I don’t know, it’s very, very extreme.” Daniel [Radcliffe] was standing there, and he went, “I think it’s cool.”‘

The White Lotus’s third season was set in Thailand and Jason was required to spend months on end in the south east Asian country to shoot the show. 

On spending time away from his family, the star said: ‘I’m not looking to build a career. I’m not looking to be anything that I’m not. 

‘I just want to keep having an interesting time at work. Any time I can be on the same continent [as my family], my heart just settles a bit.’

In a special shoot for Schon!, Jason could be seen wearing a range of outfits including a black knitted sweater and a thick pinstriped suit.

Later, he changed into a light blue shirt and then tried on an all-navy ensemble, featuring a navy suit and shirt. 

He struck poses in a range of settings, some of which captured in black and white, including a brick wall and in front of a campervan.

In a special shoot for Schon!, Jason could be seen wearing a range of outfits including a black knitted sweater and a thick pinstriped suit

He told the magazine: ‘Because I don’t normally audition, I was the same bumbling, stuttering, insecure fool that I had been for the first ten years of my career.’ 

On spending time away from his family, the star said: ‘I’m not looking to build a career. I’m not looking to be anything that I’m not’

He struck poses in a range of settings for the Schon! shoot, some of which captured in black and white, including a brick wall and in front of a campervan

One of Jason’s most talked about scenes in the hit series involved him accidentally exposing his genitals while sitting in a bathrobe.

While his kids Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola) were shocked, his wife Victoria (Parker Posey) and son Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) laughed.

The ɴuᴅᴇ scene became highly talked about and Jason has been repeatedly quizzed on whether he used a prosthetic penis, with his co-stars confirming he did.

The actor has made it clear he doesn’t like being asked about the nudity and once again shut down questioning on it during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show.

On last Saturday’s show comedian Rebel Wilson, 45, made a joke about his full-frontal nudity, which seemingly didn’t go down well with Jason.

As he discussed The White Lotus’ success, Rebel quipped, ‘I liked the stripping down bit…’ referring to his ɴuᴅᴇ scene.

But Jason quickly shut down her remark as he replied: ‘The show is so fabulous, seems a bit odd to talk about my d*** the whole time…’

The star also addressed rumours of behind-the-scenes tension on the Thailand set of the HBO drama as he admitted there were some ‘weird people’ who didn’t socialise.

Jason played the father of Harry Potter’s nemesis in the immensely popular series of movies, donning a blonde wig throughout eight films from 2002 to 2011

One of Jason’s most talked about scenes in the hit series involved him accidentally exposing his genitals while sitting in a bathrobe 

Jason has made it clear he doesn’t like being asked about the nudity and once again shut down questioning on it during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show

‘You do see people all the time. Some people didn’t leave the H๏τel, some didn’t leave their room,’ he said. 

‘There were some weird people,’ he added. ‘Never appeared socially. What happened in Thailand stays in Thailand.’

When pressed on who he was referring to, Jason cryptically replied: ‘It might not be a member of the cast.’

Read More White Lotus star Jason Isaacs snipes at Rebel Wilson as she makes joke about his ɴuᴅᴇ scene

He admitted it was ‘very intense’ living in Thailand with the entire cast and crew for seven months, but gushed that he bonded very closely with his on-screen family.

‘You’d normally have an apartment or a house. We got to know each other very well. The people in my family, my screen kids, I fell madly in love with,’ he shared.

It is not the first time Jason has addressed rumours of tension on set, with co-star Aimee Lou Wood playfully taking aim at him for ‘oversharing’ about the dynamics.

Jason recently summed up the shoot as ‘a cross between summer camp and Lord of the Flies but in a gilded cage’, with Aimee re-sharing a joke about it to Instagram.