Former Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe revealed he had written the note to 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin who is taking over the iconic role from the British actor
Daniel Radcliffe has admitted he sent a letter to the next Harry Potter, as filming for the new HBO series gets underway. He revealed that he even received a small note back from the actor, as the baton was passed from one star to the next.
Filming for the TV adaptation of the legendary book series has already started, with a host of famous faces taking on the roles of the iconic Harry Potter franchise. But with three fresh-faced stars about to walk into their biggest project yet, Daniel offered his counterpart some words of advice to get him through.
The show is not set to hit our screens until 2027, but production officially got underway back in July. Daniel reflected on how his own filming stint for the series went, and how history is repeating on set for the new cast.
As reported in People, Daniel, 36, told Good Morning America on Tuesday (November 18) that he had written a note to give to 11-year-old star Dominic McLaughlin, who is set to take over as the title character. He explained it was not a mandatory thing, but felt it was necessary as the first shoots began for the show.
“I wouldn’t say that anyone who is going to play Harry has to [reach out],” Radcliffe explained. “I know a few people who are working on the production so I wrote to Dominic and I sent him a letter and he sent me a very sweet note back.”
Daniel was the face of Harry Potter for decades, growing up in front of audiences in the film adaptation of the book series by JK Rowling. When asked why he wanted to send the kids the letter, he admitted that he did “not want to be a spectre in the light” of their own portrayals of the characters.
He added: “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.’ And I do, I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them.”
Radcliffe revealed he was astounded when he saw the pictures of the up-and-coming actors who will play the trio of Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, admitting he thought they looked “so young”. However, he realised he faced similar concerns when he took on the role back in 2001, when he was aged just 12.
HBO has said that each book in the series will be adapted into its own separate season, and will gradually be released over the coming years. A slew of famous faces have also joined the cast to breathe life into iconic characters such as Dumbledore and Professor Snape.
On top of this, some actors who appeared in the original adaptation will reprise their roles for the HBO show. Warwick Davis has confirmed he will return to the franchise, once again taking on Filius Flitwick in a touching nod to the films.
In a statement announcing the commission of the series, HBO has said it is aiming to be as “authentic to the original books” as possible, whilst bringing new viewers into the world of Harry Potter. Radcliffe added that he would not be making a ceremonial cameo in the series.
Revealing all in an interview with E! in May 2024, Daniel said he was now “very excited to watch as an audience member”. When asked if he thought it was a good idea not to have the original trio back, he said: “I don’t know if it would work to have us do anything in it.”