For millions of fans, Daniel Radcliffe will always be Harry Potter. However, the actor isn’t sitting in a corner polishing his wand and reminiscing about his glory days as a wizard. Radcliffe, now in his mid-30s, hopped on Good Morning America and casually revealed that he sent a very personal letter to Dominic McLaughlin, the young actor who will play the new Harry Potter in HBO’s upcoming 2027 TV series.
Radcliffe isn’t one to make a big fuss. He just wants to make sure the kid knows he’s in his corner, rooting for him. “I wrote to Dominic and sent him a letter and he sent me a very sweet note back,” Radcliffe revealed while pointing out that nobody owes him a phone call when taking on Harry Potter. “I wouldn’t say that anyone who is going to play Harry has to [reach out to me].”
But he did have a warning of sorts. He remembers being eleven, dealing with global fame, and having cameras shoved in his face while his biggest concern should have been his school homework.
Radcliffe also joked about not wanting to float around set like some awkward shadow from the past. His actual words: “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.’” That’s the kind of support you want from the guy who saved the Wizarding World as Harry Potter in eight movies.
Looking at the new cast photos made him feel a bit protective. “I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them. They just seem so young. 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.”
McLaughlin will lead a fresh group of first-years, which includes Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. Lox Pratt steps in as Draco Malfoy, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, and Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley.
Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden even built a temporary school on set for the kids.
The reboot covers one book per season over nearly a decade of production. That’s a pretty long time. It’s a really big journey for children so young. But at least they know someone like Daniel Radcliffe, who’s been through it all, is cheering them on.
As far as magical blessings go, a letter from Harry Potter… umm, Daniel Radcliffe, comes pretty close.
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