The upcoming Harry Potter reboot series is already giving me nostalgic feels. A whole new generation is embarking on a journey into the school of witchcraft and wizardry. This epic endeavor is a lot to place on newcomers, but it’s the adults who are already feeling emotional about the journey ahead. The Harry Potter show’s older cast reveal their hopes for the young stars.
We may still be waiting for the series to premiere, but there is an exclusive special that offers a BTS look and can be watched with an HBO Max subscription. Finding Harry: The Craft Behind The Magic is an inside look at the epic scale of the project and the magic it takes to bring Hogwarts back to life. In an heartwarming clip, three of the core adult cast have spoken fondly about new stars Dominic McLaughlin (Harry), Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley), and Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger). Albus Dumbledore himself, John Lithgow, is already looking ahead to the future:
They’re just an amazing ensemble, all of them. Arabella and Alastair and Dom. And they all adore each other. …. They’re gonna grow up in this. And I’m gonna grow old with them. [laughs]
As long as the series stays on the same trajectory as the films, which released from 2001 to 2011, a whole generation will have the chance to grow up with these characters. The young cast’s childhood will likely mirror the original trio’s. Many of the adult co-stars from the films became mentors, such as Gary Oldman’s bond with Daniel Radcliffe. So it’s likely that the new cast will grow up seeking advice and guidance from their colleagues a similar way. For some, like Paapa Essiedu (aka our new Professor Severus Snape) this is something that excites him:
I’m really excited to see how they grow and how their artistry grows and what kind of people they grow into.
This is reflective of the advice Radcliffe had, but for the adults: “Let them be kids still.” Their journey will be a little different than what he had thanks to social media. While he may no longer be The Boy Who Lived, it still important to him that the young cast get to enjoy childhood despite online media attention. Though if the new Professor McGonagall Janet McTeer’s hopes are any indication, they’re striving to create a positive experience for the young stars. As she put it:
Theoretically, we could be working for many years together, and they’ll be young adults by then. We want them to grow up thinking, ‘Wow! It might have been hard, it might have been difficult, it might have been tiring but, boy it was good and so glad I did it. It was so exciting to be a part of it.’
I don’t know how anyone could not be emotional after that, but if you watch the clip below you’re definitely going to want tissues. It instantly took me back to the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts. You don’t have to take my word for it, check it out for yourself:
Hopefully McLaughlin, Stout, and Stanton will look back and fondly recalling the advice their co-stars gave them. The fame of Harry Potter may have been up and down for Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, they still speak fondly about their time at Hogwarts. By the looks of things, they’re off to a great start, and perhaps, they’ll take Tom Felton’s funny advice to heart: “Take more pictures.”
For now, let's enjoy the emotional words from the adult co-stars and wish the new cast the best. Remember, Harry Potter will pick out his wand (and prepare for a long battle against Voldemort) when the series hits the 2026 TV schedule on Christmas Day.
