Harry Potter open casting call

I think in a way it's a good thing, takes pressure off young actors/have more child actor friends to share experience of fame of they do so...marginally anyway

I wonder if they will actually aim to keep the same actors all the way through. It's being made by HBO, right? They did "young actor" and "older actor" for lots of the House of the Dragon characters recently, to deal with the time jump between seasons. It seems to take 2-3 years to get a series of TV made, edited and released these days. Different actor would save on having to do lots of expensive de-ageing in post production, as Netflix have had to do with stranger things.

Cynically it also removes power from the actors, if they only get to be Harry or whoever for a couple of seasons. No bargaining for ridiculous money or producer credits if you're getting replaced anyway!

Yes so they don’t outgrow the parts. Some info is first hand and some is available online . Lots of casting agents have posts on instagram around mid October of children being recalled for major new tv show . They all look around 9. It mentioned small for age on the casting originally sent to agents but not on the open casting . Children with agents were also given a script , I think it was from ET .

HBO have said they will probably film the first two seasons back to back so the young actors don’t age out.

Aw man we're going to have another small Ron and Harry then. I mean, Harry is meant to be small at the start but Ron was always tall.

Where are you getting this intel ..either way keep it coming it's entertaining 🕵️‍♀️

Does anyone know when they might cast for the other characters?

Small children as they hopefully won't physically outgrow their parts?

Are they hoping to do a series a year?

More intel ! So casting recalls started in October for the golden trio and are planned until December at the moment . Children of all ethnicities have been recalled , the only thing they have in common is that most seem to be small in stature ..

My daughter would make a great Hermione, outspoken and a know-it-all 😂 she's 12 though so too old unfortunately. She loves acting too, she's already asked if she can audition for Moaning Myrtle.

My friends little boy sent a tape in for Harry, he's 9, has jet black hair and green eyes so he'd be absolutely perfect for it

Well HP isn't exactly high art so I suspect they will simply go for the kids who look the most commercial internationally, and as a pp pointed out, resilient.

It's completely normal for adaptations of a book to not try to be identical to everything in the book. Always has been. Why would we want the most talented actors to get less opportunities if they are a POC?

🙄🙄🙄🙄

The production is supposed to be a joyful thing for children.

Why all this bickering and positioning. Every child cast will be exactly that: a child.

I think it’s pretty low to be making such an issue over what they look like. I bet the children won’t even notice - unless they’ve heard their parents pushing their own agendas.

As pps have observed, this type of high profile role comes with all sorts of pressures - from potentially living away from home for filming, to time out of school and potentially needing to catch up, to stamina etc etc - and that’s before we even start on an ability to weather the sort of public dissection of them that is already beginning here before anyone even knows who they are. And of course there is acting ability and a chemistry between the children chosen.

They aren’t choosing paper dolls for a dress-up activity book.

These are real children who will have to cope with multiple pressures and demonstrate multiple skills- for their own good as much as anything else. How about stepping back, leaving the selection team with full overview of what they require from the children to do their job and forget, for once, what they look like. They are children.

But many, many, many fans will not share your view that preserving the beloved whiteness of a fictional wizard is important.

Some people like "an accurate adaptation".

Some people like that a filmed adaptation 30 years after the book came out reflects the times it's made in.

Will the books be set in modern day UK or 80s/90s UK?

Also... they will have a global audience. The whole cast (not just HH&R) has the opportunity to be diverse. Maybe Dumbledore will be black, or McGonagall. There's all the minor named students and staff. And the unnamed ones.

And honestly this is why I'm glad DD is just out of the age range as these kids are going to be the most scruntinised, trolled and envied children for the next few years.

Representation of what though?

If it's representative of Britain, especially Britain in the 1990s, then a majority white cast of characters is representative!

If it's modern day, then Britain is still majority white.

If it's global modern day, then we ought to be making Hermione and Harry of Indian and Chinese ethnicity, as those are the largest ethnic groups.

I don't think anyone is campaigning for H to look like their kid at all but representation is important. I'm pretty sure the production will select the best actors for the job no matter what race/gender x

How are they clutching at straws? It's undeniably obvious that the main three were intended to be white.

I agree with people that this series should be different and make its own mark, but it could do that by being even more accurate to the books that the films were. Give Hermione really curly hair and actually big teeth, make ron actually tall, make Harry's hair actually messy. Make Hogwarts look like a traditional English castle. Make Dudley have blonde hair. Include Peeves. Show more lessons, more ghosts.

Gosh. Everyone campaigning on SM for Harry and co to look like their kid. 🙄

I’m sure that there will be so many considerations in the mix for casting that won’t even occur to people outside the industry.

Ron is ginger. So white. Harry has bright green eyes. We know his mum was white (ginger hair, green eyes) and his dad is never described in much detail, but I think has hazel eyes. Hermione is described as having a "white face" at one point, so also white.

You are clutching at straws here.

The Asian boy is actually UK based , I don’t think it was a recall in person . Just a second tape request . His parent and agency posted separate posts about this . The parent’s post was more obvious about what it was . He is quite tall and strong so I’m not sure he is the right fit for Harry but what do I know !

The Irish recall is happening this month . If staying true to the books this child is definitely a Hermione.

@mandes1 so sorry you read and experience that.

Contrary to @verysmellyjelly‘s opinion I personally would love the new series to be visually distinctive to the play and the films to create its own identity. After all it’s an interpretation of a fictional world. I absolutely loved the books and have reread many times over the last 20 years but I feel if I want to immerse myself if that world I would just happily reread the books again. But I’d love to see a different interpretation and wouldn’t want the new series to unnecessarily constrain themselves to old (now quite dated?) principles.

But back to casting. @Chawklit1 great intel in an Irish Hermione and an Asian Harry. That’s the only info I’ve read of in person auditions so maybe they’re further ahead with Hermione… or maybe further ahead in Ireland?!

Just to reiterate that people of colour can have green eyes / red hair and be described as having pale skin etc so that part will be covered.

I'm black, my kids are all with an agency and I would be heartbroken if they were to be subjected to the type of backlash received when an actual fictional CHARACTER is changed to a poc. It takes all the fun and excitement out of the process. One of my sons was in a tv series a few years back and I found a comment online calling him a monkey. So sad, when most of these shows are aimed at children anyway but grown adults choose to write abuse online. Children don't usual care what characters look like, they just enjoy the story.

When it comes to the HP series, they asked for all ethnicities so I can't really see them sticking to the original look of the cast. That might encourage unfair comparison and also impersonation which wouldn't help make a successful tv series. They need to switch it up really because people are so familiar with the story now (the series is literally shown every week on tv!). Make it fresh but I hope whoever is cast that they have thick skin. Good luck everyone! xx^^

I guess another concern for those involved will be the backlash they're likely to get from a certain type of person if they colour blind cast the main actors. They'll have seen the kind of harassment eg Rue in the Hunger Games experienced and from a duty of care perspective might not want to attract that for a child.

@CaptainCarrotsBigSword there are POC with natural ginger/brown/red hair also!