The group of actors who can understand the process that the young stars of HBO’s Harry Potter series are about to go through is small. However, there is a camp of child stars who starred on long-running TV shows who will get it, and that includes some members of the Game of Thrones cast. Case in point, Isaac Hempstead Wright, who played Bran Stark in the series based on George R.R. Martin’s books, shared some advice for the young actors taking on the roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione while talking about getting recognized in public.
Earlier this spring, it was announced that 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin, 11-year-old Arabella Stanton and 12-year-old Alastair Stout will play Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, respectively, in HBO's upcoming book-to-screen adaptation. There’s no question that these young performers are likely going to be catapulted to an overwhelming level of fame when this series comes out, and Isaac Hempstead Wright touched on that while speaking to The Independent.
The actor, who was also 12 when he started working on Game of Thrones, explained that the Harry Potter stars are in for “a ride” as he opened up about the challenges of social media, saying:
Twitter had pretty much just come out in 2009 when we shot the pilot. We didn’t quite have the same scrutiny that you would have now. There wasn’t quite the level of hatred back then.
Now, Game of Thrones was a show that faced, and is still facing, its fair share of online love and scrutiny. It’s intense, and I’d imagine working on those shows and seeing all these comments has to be overwhelming. So, warning the Potter stars about this is important.
Along with that, the Bran actor said he wasn’t prepared for everything Game of Thrones entailed. He didn’t have an agent when he got his contract, so his drama teacher read it for him. To that point, he noted that he landed his part the same way McLaughlin, Stanton and Stout did, explaining:
I had my local drama teacher, because similar to these new Potter kids it was an open casting call.
An open casting call means anyone can audition, and that’s how a lot of unknown actors land their first big role. In the cast of Harry Potter, 32,000 kids auditioned for the main trio. So, considering these three were picked out of so many, I’d assume they’re poised to handle what’s coming quite well.
Now, as they begin the process of playing the beloved Hogwarts students, Hempstead Wright has provided some sweet advice. The actor, who is now 26, stated that wherever he goes, he always gets recognized and enjoys it a lot. He urged the new actors to have a similar open mentality, saying:
Just enjoy every minute of it, take every opportunity it affords you… I can go to any country in the world and there will be someone there who’s pleased to see me. You go to some little bar in Madrid or wherever, and somebody will want to strike up a chat with you. It’s made the world a much smaller place.
As the careers of OG Harry Potter actors like Daniel Radcliffe show, the doors a project like this or Game of Thrones can open are immense. Plus, I assume it’s always lovely to meet fans who adore your work and want to talk about it. Obviously, there are big cons to that too, but sharing moments with folks who love what you made means a lot, as the GOT actor stated.
Unlike some of Harry Potter’s older cast members, like John Lithgow, who will play Dumbledore, the kids playing Harry, Ron and Hermione haven’t experienced what it’s like working on such a massive project. So, I’d imagine all the advice they can get is helpful.
Thankfully, Isaac Hempstead Wright knows exactly what they’re about to go through because he had a similar experience with Game of Thrones. Now, hopefully, more actors will share similar sentiments as we inch closer to Harry Potter’s release on HBO.
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