‘Harry Potter’: Vincent Crabbe Actor Jamie Waylett Was Once Arrested for Possessing $3,000 Worth of Pot
The Harry Potter movies featured actor Jamie Waylett as school bully Vincent Crabbe. But unlike some of his co-stars — including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint — Waylett hasn’t appeared in any major projects since the film series ended. The actor’s career may have fizzled because of his run-ins with the law. And one of the reasons could be his drug arrests.
Jamie Waylett was 12 years old when he joined the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise
Waylett made his debut as Vincent Crabbe — one-half of the mean, dim-witted duo Crabbe and Goyle — in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone at age 12. He appeared in five subsequent franchise films. His character often accompanied Tom Felton’s Draco Malfoy and Joshua Herdman’s Gregory Goyle.
In a 2007 interview with The Leaky Cauldron, two years before filming his final movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Waylett discussed his future aspirations. He revealed he hoped to pursue an acting career beyond Harry Potter. And he noted he’d like to continue taking on villainous roles.
“I want to keep acting after Harry Potter,” Waylett said. “I want to play a villain. A proper one. Because when you’re evil, you get a really dramatic ending … like you die or something. I’d want to get shot up by a machine gun.”
‘Harry Potter’ actor Jamie Waylett was arrested for pot possession in 2009
In 2009, just months before the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Waylett was arrested for drug possession in London. The then-19-year-old was driving his Audi when police stopped him in Westminster, Central London, the UK’s Mirror reported.
Authorities allegedly found eight bags of cannabis in his vehicle. And upon searching Waylett’s mother’s Camden home, police reportedly seized several cannabis plants worth over $3,000.
The actor — who was also accused of cocaine use in 2006 — was sentenced to 120 hours of community service.
While his Harry Potter co-stars have enjoyed continued success in Hollywood, Waylett’s legal issues may have contributed to his fizzling career. His character, Vincent Crabbe, was written out of the final two movies and replaced by Blaise Zabini — Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle’s new cohort, portrayed by Louis Cordice.
The ‘Harry Potter’ alum was arrested again in 2011
Two years after working on his last Harry Potter movie, Waylett was arrested again, for participating in the 2011 England riots. He was charged with violent disorder and handling stolen goods, the BBC reported. He was sentenced to two years in jail.
During mitigation, Waylett’s attorney Emily Dummat suggested he had become a “withered actor by the age of 22.” Referring to his fame and subsequent troubles, she added, “Although he had the good fortune to be in the Harry Potter films, it turned out to be not so good fortune.”
Waylett hasn’t appeared on-screen since Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He offers personalized messages and videos for fans via Cameo for $160 to $200.
