Harry Potter actor Tom Felton recalls the time he was mistaken for Ryan Gosling

Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, was once asked if he was Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Gosling as he queued for food at a McDonald’s restaurant

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Tom Felton discusses playing Draco Malfoy at a young age

Tom Felton – who played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films – has laughed about the time he was mistaken for Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Gosling.

He told the Evening Standard that the surprise mix-up took place when he was waiting to be served at a McDonald’s.

Remembering the encounter, the former child actor, now 34, said: “We were in the queue. She tapped me on the shoulder and said ‘Are you…’ And I almost finished the sentence by saying ‘Yes’, and she said, ‘Are you Ryan Gosling?'”

An amused and flattered Felton then jokingly replied: “Can I get that in writing?”

The Surrey-born actor also revealed that he regularly travels on the Tube these days and cycles around London without being noticed, reasoning that he has changed in appearance a fair bit since the final Harry Potter film was released almost 11 years ago.

In his interview with the Standard, Felton added: “Obviously I’ve aged a fair bit so there are more people whispering now ‘look at that guy, he looks like a dodgy old Draco’, versus Rupert [Grint] and Emma [Watson] who look almost the same.”

Felton is currently starring in 2:22 A Ghost Story at the Criterion Theatre and has described his West End debut as “really terrifyingly enjoyable”.

He also portrays Guy Fawkes in The Tower of London’s new immersive attraction The Gunpowder Plot that opened yesterday.

On that honour, he added: “It’s definitely something very unique and having the opportunity to portray someone who is so famous in British history was pretty cool.”

Felton has not reported any further health scares, meanwhile, after he worried fans last September when he collapsed at a celebrity golf tournament and suffered a medical emergency that saw him stretchered off the 18th hole at the Whistling Straits Golf Course in Wisconsin, US.

He later uploaded a video to his Instagram account to tell fans he was “on the mend”, saying: “Hello everyone, ladies and gentleman, boys and girls. Just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the lovely well wishes as of… a scary episode really.

“People have been taking really good care of me so thank you very much to anyone who has sent messages of get well soon, because I am on the mend officially, in case you were worried.”

He then broke out into a song telling people not to worry as he played his guitar before ending the video by saying: “Thank you so much for your help, I’m on the road to recovery.

“Time to go watch some Ryder Cup action. Love you.”

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