Dominic McLaughlin Reflects on First Time Wearing His ‘Harry Potter’ Costume: “It Was Surreal”

Dominic McLaughlin, the young actor stepping into the role of Harry Potter for HBO’s new series, recently shared what it felt like to finally wear the character’s famous costume. Speaking to BBC News while promoting his new film “Grow,” where he stars alongside Nick Frost, who also plays Hagrid in the Harry Potter reboot, McLaughlin admitted the moment was overwhelming.

A bit surreal to be honest, because I was always a huge Harry Potter fan when I was younger, he said. And it was like the dream role, of course, so I’m thrilled to be able to be doing it.

The HBO series is one of the most anticipated fantasy projects in years. Unlike the movies, the show will adapt J.K. Rowling’s books across multiple seasons, with the goal of telling the story in a more detailed way.

Dominic McLaughlin takes on the title role, while Alastair Stout will play Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton will portray Hermione Granger. John Lithgow steps into the role of Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer plays Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu joins as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost appears as Rubeus Hagrid.

The journey to making the series has been a long one. Plans for a Harry Potter show were first revealed in early 2021. Casting calls for the main trio went out in September 2024, drawing more than 32,000 hopefuls.

After months of auditions, McLaughlin, Stout, and Stanton were announced as the new generation of Harry, Ron, and Hermione in May 2025. Production began in July 2025 at the Leavesden Studios in England, the same place where the original films were shot.

The creative team behind the series is led by showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod. HBO has said the plan is for the adaptation to last about a decade, with each book being given its own season. The first season is expected to have eight episodes.

Originally, the show was planned for HBO Max, but after the platform restructured, the project was shifted to a full HBO release. The series is scheduled to debut in early 2027 in the United States.

First reported by the BBC.

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