Daniel Radcliffe wants to stop Harry Potter TV series stars being asked about the original films' cast

Daniel Radcliffe might have been skyrocketed to fame as the face of the Harry Potter film series but, ahead of HBO's upcoming TV reboot of the beloved fantasy franchise, the actor has urged fans to stop talking about the original movies’ cast.

The upcoming TV series, which is expected to premiere in 2027, will be led by newcomers Dominic McLaughlin as the titular character, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

Speaking about the new young stars in a recent interview with Screen Rant, Radcliffe said: "When these kids got cast, there is a whole thing around the internet being like, ‘We have to look after these kids!'"

He continued: "If you really mean that, then one of the things you can do is don’t ask about us – me, Emma [Watson] and Rupert [Grint] – all the time.

"I would like not to be weird spectral phantoms in these children’s lives. Just let them get on [with it], it’s going to be a new, different thing. I’m sure Dominic is going to be better than me."

Radcliffe previously revealed that he wrote a letter to McLaughlin, who was cast as an 11-year-old, the same age that Radcliffe and Grint were when they were cast in the first movie, 2001’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, while Emma Watson was only 10.

"I wrote to Dominic and sent him a letter, and he sent me a very sweet note back," the actor said.

He continued: "I don’t want to be a spectre in the life of these children, but I just wanted to write to him to say, ‘I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did – I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time.'"

The actor concluded: "I just see these pictures of him and the other kids, and I just want to hug them. They just seem so young. I do look at them and say, ‘Oh, it’s crazy I was doing that at that age.’ But it’s also incredibly sweet, and I hope they’re having a great time."

Other actors joining the three lead child stars in the new reboot include John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Hogwarts headmistress Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Professor Snape, Paul Whitehouse as Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch and Nick Frost as gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor Hagrid.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced backlash in some quarters due to her views on transgender rights. In 2020, she published a lengthy statement detailing her stance on sex and gender debates – the essay was criticised and disputed by LGBTQ+ charities including Stonewall.

Rowling has also shared her views on social media, including in a 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she insisted that “there are no trans kids” and opposed the idea that a child can be “born in the wrong body”.

In May 2025, Rowling set up the JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which describes itself as offering legal funding support to “individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights”.

Harry Potter actors including Radcliffe, Grint and Watson, have distanced themselves from Rowling's views and have issued statements supporting the transgender community. Others, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received.

The Harry Potter series will stream on HBO Max.

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