Radcliffe Declines to Advise Dominic McLaughlin on Playing Harry Potter

Daniel Radcliffe will not be giving Dominic McLaughlin tips on playing Harry Potter. The actor who first played the role on screen says he does not want to get in the way of the young star's work through interviews.

McLaughlin is the title character in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter adaptation. Radcliffe played the wizard in eight films released by Warner Bros. between 2001 and 2011. HBO is now retelling the story as a television series, and the role has passed to a new actor.

In an interview reported by Variety, Radcliffe said he did not want to haunt McLaughlin by weighing in on how to do the part. He said he hopes the two will meet someday.

Radcliffe also said he has already watched a lot of Harry Potter, and he does not watch much television. Asked by the Associated Press whether he would tune in to HBO's new version, he said he does not know if he will. He added that he has not seen Breaking Bad or Mad Men, two of the most talked-about dramas of the past two decades.

The two actors have had some contact. Radcliffe wrote McLaughlin a letter, and McLaughlin sent back a kind note in reply. Radcliffe described that exchange as sweet, and it is the closest the pair have come to a working relationship so far.

Recasting a famous role is never simple. The films made Radcliffe one of the best-known faces of the 2000s, and anyone following in his footsteps knows that comparisons are part of the job. Radcliffe's choice to stay out of it leaves McLaughlin to build the character in his own way.

HBO released a first-look photo of McLaughlin in the iconic Harry Potter costume in July 2025, according to the Associated Press. The series has no broadcast date, so fans will have to wait for HBO to announce when it arrives.

For now, the story is a quiet one. The original actor is staying on the sidelines, and the new Harry is getting on with the job alone.