Daniel Radcliffe has revealed that he wrote a letter to 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin, who has been cast as Harry Potter in the upcoming HBO television series. Radcliffe, who played the boy wizard in the original film franchise, shared the news during an appearance on Good Morning America on Tuesday.
“I wrote to Dominic and I sent him a letter and he sent me a very sweet note back,” Radcliffe said. He expressed his hope that McLaughlin would have “an even better time” growing up in the role than he did, adding: “I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them. They just seem so young.”
McLaughlin’s casting was announced in May alongside Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, following an open casting call. The series will also feature John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Radcliffe, who has distanced himself from the project due to his falling out with author JK Rowling over transgender rights, said he has no plans to appear in the series. “I think [the producers] very wisely want to [have] a clean break,” he told E! Online in 2024. The new series, described by HBO as a “faithful adaptation” of Rowling’s books, is scheduled to premiere in 2027 and is expected to run for ten consecutive years.
