Lenny Rush Cast as Dobby in HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Season 2
British breakout star Lenny Rush has spent the past few years quietly building one of the most decorated résumés among young actors in the U.K. From a BAFTA win to a recurring gig on ‘Doctor Who,’ Rush has become known for delivering performances well beyond his years, and now his career is about to take a major turn toward one of the most beloved corners of pop culture.
That corner is the wizarding world, where HBO has spent months assembling a growing ensemble for the second season of its ‘Harry Potter’ series. With the show adapting ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ for its next chapter, casting decisions have carried extra weight given how many fan-favorite characters make their debut in that installment.
Now one of those roles has officially been filled. Lenny Rush has been cast as Dobby, the loyal house-elf who becomes a pivotal figure in Harry’s journey, according to Deadline.
Rush joins the Season 2 cast alongside Billy Barratt, who was cast as young Tom Riddle, and Bonnie Hill, who takes over the role of Ginny Weasley in a recasting. Together, the three additions mark some of the biggest casting news the series has revealed since Season 1 wrapped, giving fans their first real look at how the show plans to bring ‘Chamber of Secrets’ to life.
For those less familiar with British television, Rush’s rise has been nothing short of remarkable. He won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Male Performance in a Comedy Programme in 2023 for his role as Ollie in Daisy May Cooper’s ‘Am I Being Unreasonable?,’ a performance that earned him widespread critical praise and turned him into one of the youngest actors ever to take home the award.
Since then, Rush has built out a diverse filmography that includes a recurring role as Morris Gibbons in ‘Doctor Who,’ appearances in ‘Dodger’ and ‘The Dumping Ground,’ and a role in ‘Enola Holmes 2.’ He also made history as the first child presenter to join the main hosting lineup for BBC’s Children in Need, further cementing his status as one of the U.K.’s most recognizable young talents.
Rush lives with spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita, a condition that affects growth and results in dwarfism, and he has used his growing platform to advocate for greater representation of actors with disabilities in British television. That advocacy, paired with his acting chops, makes his casting as Dobby feel especially meaningful to fans who have followed his career.
Dobby becomes central to the plot in ‘Chamber of Secrets’ as a house-elf who tries desperately, if clumsily, to protect Harry Potter from the dangers awaiting him at Hogwarts. The character’s arc has remained one of the most emotionally resonant threads in the entire book series, giving whoever takes on the role a significant amount of material to work with.
His casting also comes at a moment when HBO’s approach to Season 2 has leaned younger across the board, with the production consistently choosing performers closer to the ages described in the books rather than the older actors used in the original film adaptations. That same philosophy shaped the casting of Barratt as Tom Riddle, who is reportedly in his high teens, much closer to the character’s book age of 16 than Christian Coulson was when he played the role in the 2002 film.
Season 2 is currently gearing up for production, with several cast members having already returned to set ahead of the previously announced fall start date. That head start comes as Season 1 of HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ prepares for its December 25 premiere on HBO Max, giving fans plenty to look forward to on both ends of the show’s expanding timeline.
With Rush now confirmed as Dobby, alongside Barratt and Hill rounding out some of Chamber of Secrets’ most pivotal roles, the picture of what Season 2 will look like is finally starting to come into focus. Longtime fans of the books will no doubt be watching closely to see how faithfully this beloved character translates to the screen.
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