Radcliffe Welcomes Next Harry Potter With a Personal Letter

Daniel Radcliffe says he reached out to the new Harry Potter actor, Dominic McLaughlin, after hearing he had been chosen to lead HBO’s upcoming series.

Radcliffe talked about it during an interview on “Good Morning America,” explaining that he wanted to send a friendly message because he knows people working on the new show and understands how big the role can feel at a young age.

Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in all eight Warner Bros. films from 2001 to 2011, said he doesn’t expect anyone taking over the part to contact him. Still, he felt it would be nice to send a note. He said, “I wrote to Dominic and sent him a letter and he sent me a very sweet note back.”

He also shared how he feels when he sees photos of the young actors preparing for the series. Radcliffe said he remembers how it felt starting out at that age and wants the new cast to enjoy the experience.

He explained, “I don’t want to be a specter 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.’” He added that the cast looks very young to him and said, “I just 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.”

HBO’s new series features a young group of actors stepping into the well-known roles. Arabella Stanton will play Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout will play Ron Weasley alongside McLaughlin’s Harry.

Other cast members include Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom and Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley.

According to the BBC, Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden has even built a temporary school on the lot so the actors can continue their studies during the long production schedule. Each season is expected to cover one of J.K. Rowling’s books, meaning the project will span many years.

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