So for all of those curious Potter fans, here's how Fiennes truly transformed into Lord Voldemort. Aside from Albus Dumbledore (who was played by both Richard Harris and Michael Gambon, with the latter taking over after the former's untimely passing), Voldemort was known as one of the most powerful wizards to have ever lived. “What does it involve? To make Fiennes' nose vanish entirely, it took some impressive work from the film's special effects team. He's one of the most iconic villains in literature and cinema, and Lord Voldemort, with his see-through white skin, vein-covered head, lack of a nose, and pointed teeth, has a horrifying yet memorable look. It’s extraordinary!’ And then I took it a bit more seriously.”, Fiennes approached the role the same way he has approached his other parts in movies like Schindler’s List and The English Patient. In the spring of 2019, Fiennes admitted to Digital Spy's Jonathan Ross that he very nearly said no to the role, mostly thanks to the fact that he wasn't familiar with the Potter books or films up until that point. When he was offered the part, he said he had very little awareness of what Harry Potter actually was. After all, she had three kids and knew what a big deal Harry Potter was. In retrospect, it's obvious that he'd be a great choice to play the dynamic yet heartless villain of the Potter series, but believe it or not, he almost didn't step into Lord Voldemort's imposing shoes at all. Audiences around the world are lucky that Fiennes has younger relatives, or we might never have seen his frightening yet cheeky take on Tom Riddle. According to the film's visual effects supervisor, Paul Franklin, it was "like creating a Renaissance painting," and ultimately, the crew's artistic efforts paid off, as they managed to keep Fiennes recognizable while still transforming him into the darkest wizard in cinematic history. As it turns out, Fiennes worked with the production designer to ensure his wand would never fall, thanks to a handy hook connected to his finger. Really, that makes a whole lot of sense. "The nose is digital," the British makeup artist says. Because of this, Coulier and his team got creative. Shortly after hitting bookshelves in the late 1990s, the Harry Potter series became a worldwide sensation, spawning spin-offs, theme parks, and of course, a film franchise, which started its run with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in 2001. “I’ll be pissed if they brought back Voldemort and didn’t ask me,” he laughed. That was his flat, snakelike nose, which becomes more and more exaggerated as the series continues. The idea, he said, was so that it “could be light in the hand” and almost feel like a part of him. In other words, Voldemort is a really bad dude who's nothing at all like Ralph Fiennes ... right? Voldemort was once just a regular human, but after ending up on the wrong side of a Killing Curse, he turned into a twisted, unreal being. As Harry Potter’s nemesis Voldemort, Ralph Fiennes has been terrorising children since the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005. Despite playing one of the most formidable villains of all time (one who was so fearsome that his enemies wouldn't even say his name out loud), Fiennes had a fairly comical situation happening under his flowing robes.