​‘Harry Potter’ TV show cast guide: Who’s playing who?​

Original actor: Harry Melling

Now being played by: Amos Kitson

Amos Kitson steps in as Dudley Dursley, Harry’s spoiled cousin and the only child of Petunia and Vernon. Dudley spends years tormenting Harry and gets pretty much everything he wants from his parents. By the end of the story, Dudley actually apologizes to Harry for all the trouble he caused growing up. This is Kitson’s first acting role.

Original actor: Matthew Lewis

Now being played by: Rory Wilmot

Rory Wilmot is Neville Longbottom, a Gryffindor and one of the last pure-blood wizarding families. Neville’s known for being clumsy and pretty nervous around Snape. Wilmot has already appeared in ‘FBI: International’ and ‘Out of the Dust’.

Original actor: Tom Felton

Now being played by: Lox Pratt

Lox Pratt plays Draco Malfoy, Harry’s main rival at Hogwarts and a proud Slytherin. Draco thinks Muggle-born students shouldn’t even be at Hogwarts, and he’s relentless in bullying Harry, Ron, and Hermione. He sticks to his family’s beliefs and won’t let anything stop him from making their lives miserable. Pratt’s also set to star as Jack in the BBC’s new ‘Lord Of The Flies’: a wild, hunting-obsessed young leader.

Original actor: Robbie Coltrane

Now being played by: Nick Frost

Nick Frost becomes Hagrid, the half-giant gamekeeper at Hogwarts. He’s the first to tell Harry he’s a wizard and sticks by him, Ron, and Hermione through thick and thin. Hagrid’s a little clumsy, but he loves magical creatures: dragons, Hippogriffs, you name it.

Original actor: Maggie Smith

Now being played by: Janet McTeer

Janet McTeer takes on Minerva McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House and professor of Transfiguration. She’s an early ally to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. What Harry doesn’t realize at first is that McGonagall helped Dumbledore bring him to the Dursleys as a baby. She’s also an animagus; she can turn into a cat whenever she likes.

Original actor: Alan Rickman

Now being played by: Paapa Essiedu

Paapa Essiedu tackles Severus Snape, the potions master and head of Slytherin House. Snape is icy and sharp, especially toward Gryffindor students and other professors. Pretty quickly, Harry suspects Snape is involved with Voldemort.

Original actors: Richard Harris and Michael Gambon

Now being played by: John Lithgow

John Lithgow is now Dumbledore: the wise, powerful headmaster of Hogwarts, and one of Harry’s earliest mentors. Before the story even begins, Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall whisk baby Harry away to live with the Dursleys on Privet Drive.

Original actor: Emma Watson

Now being played by: Arabella Stanton

Arabella Stanton plays Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age and a close friend to Harry and Ron. She made her debut as Matilda in ‘Matilda: The Musical’ on the West End. Stanton takes over from Emma Watson, who’s mostly moved on from acting since ‘Harry Potter’, but did star in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Little Women’.

Original actor: Rupert Grint

Now being played by: Alastair Stout

Alastair Stout is the new Ron Weasley, Harry’s best friend and the famous red-headed wizard. This is Stout’s big break, since he’s never acted before. With his vivid red hair, he looks almost exactly like young Rupert Grint did in the original films.

Original actor: Daniel Radcliffe

Now being played by: Dominic McLaughlin

Dominic McLaughlin steps into the iconic role of Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, a part that shot Daniel Radcliffe to worldwide stardom. McLaughlin was recently in ‘Grow’, a Sky comedy with Nick Frost. Funny enough, Frost is also taking on Hagrid in this new ‘Harry Potter’ series, alongside Golda Rosheuvel.

Get ready to head back to Hogwarts. HBO's new 'Harry Potter' series lands this Christmas 2026, and they're doing things differently: each of J.K. Rowling’s seven books gets its own season. So, ‘Philosopher’s Stone’, ‘Chamber of Secrets’, all the way to ‘Deathly Hallows’ are back, but in a bigger, longer format.

Dominic McLaughlin steps into Harry’s shoes. You probably don’t know him yet, as he’s pretty new to the scene. Per Variety, he played in Sky’s comedy ‘Grow’ alongside his soon-to-be Hagrid, Nick Frost. Arabella Stanton takes on Hermione, and she was Matilda on the West End stage, so she’s got that classic book-smart energy. Alastair Stout is embodying Ron, and, honestly, this is his first real gig. These are fresh faces, and HBO went big: there were 32,000 auditioning kids for Harry’s role. Mark Mylod and his casting team sifted through hundreds of tapes every single day.

John Lithgow, who already is a legend, plays Professor Dumbledore. Paapa Essiedu is Snape. Janet McTeer is Professor McGonagall. Nick Frost brings Hagrid to life. Bel Powley and Daniel Rigby are Harry's awful Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon.

Looking at Season 1, Paul Whitehouse takes the cranky caretaker Argus Filch, Luke Thallon is Professor Quirrell, Katherine Parkinson becomes Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt plays Draco Malfoy, and Johnny Flynn is Lucius Malfoy.

Francesca Gardiner heads up the writing and executive producing; she’s running the show. Mark Mylod is directing and executive producing, teaming up with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Rowling herself is involved as an executive producer, along with Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, and David Heyman from Heyday Films.

Here, let’s unpack the full cast and learn about who’s playing who.