Audible’s ‘Harry Potter’ Series Introduces a New Generation of Harry, Ron, and Hermione

Three young British actors are stepping into one of the most magical roles in storytelling, bringing Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger to life for Audible’s new full-cast audiobook series. Frankie Treadaway, 14, Max Lester, 13, and Arabella Stanton, 11, are voicing the famous trio in the first three books of Harry Potter: The Full Cast Audio Editions.

Audible’s new version of the beloved series will be released starting November 4, with one book coming out each month. The recordings feature more than 200 actors, including big names like Hugh Laurie as Dumbledore and Matthew Macfadyen as Voldemort.

For the young stars, landing their roles was a dream come true. Treadaway, who voices Harry, said the moment he found out was unforgettable.

“It was just pure amazement, to be honest. With such a famous character, associating you with him is just mind-blowing.” Stanton, who voices Hermione, described it as “a pinch-me moment. It’s like, ‘Have I actually got this?’ It was just so amazing when I found out.” Lester, the new voice of Ron, said he could hardly believe it. “I don’t believe this is real… And still now, I can’t believe that I’m a part of this, and I’m in this amazing role with an amazing cast.”

Despite recording separately most of the time, the three quickly formed a real friendship. Treadaway shared, “Well, yeah, of course we are! I think we’ve formed a bond over this period of time when we were doing this.”

The trio spent about a week recording their parts for the first three books. To prepare, they watched the original Warner Bros. movies and revisited the books to understand their characters better. Stanton said reading helped her see Hermione’s personality more clearly. “I think Hermione can be portrayed in many different ways. She’s quite a well-to-do girl — and she is very smart and is very keen to learn.”

For Lester, the challenge was mastering Ron’s rural accent. “Getting your vowels longer and making your L’s longer and your R’s longer,” he said. “Sometimes in conversations now, I kind of slip them in there because it sounds right.”

To make the experience more immersive, producers gave the actors props like wands and Hogwarts robes during recording. Stanton said that helped her connect to her role. “If you had your wand, if you were doing a spell, you could practice doing that movement. And I really think all the tiny little things that they gave us really helped me personally to bring Hermione to life.”

Lester’s favorite part of the job involved something very “Ron-like.” He laughed while recalling scenes where he got to eat while recording. “It was so real! It was even better if you did more takes.”

Treadaway admitted that he took some inspiration from Daniel Radcliffe’s original portrayal of Harry Potter, but also made the role his own. “I definitely did bear in mind what other previous things of Harry Potter were, just so people still have that familiarity with the character. But I also added my spin on it.”

Voice acting was a new experience for all three. Stanton said it required a lot of focus. “You have to focus more on your voice and really portray your character through your voice with more emotion. It’s quite hard because you have to sort of not over-enunciate, but really have nice and good diction whilst you’re speaking so that the mic picks up everything you’re saying.”

The young cast had to keep their roles secret for months until Audible made the announcement in August. Lester said that part was difficult. “When I did finally get round to telling my friends… they were properly impressed. But when I couldn’t tell them, it was quite tough because I really wanted to say what I was doing!”

All three have strong theater and film backgrounds. Treadaway has performed in West End hits like Mary Poppins, Matilda the Musical, and Mrs. Doubtfire. Lester has appeared in Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Les Misérables, and Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Stanton starred as Matilda on stage at just nine years old and later joined Starlight Express in London.

None of them have met J.K. Rowling yet, but they hope to one day. “I love her writing. I love the books,” Stanton said. “Hopefully we get to meet her in the future.”

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