• By MuggleNet Editorial Staff
• 15 Nov, 2026
• Books

With just over a month until HBO’s Harry Potter series premieres, we’re getting to know the three young actors who will be taking us back to Hogwarts. Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger), and Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley) have spoken to Scholastic News about landing their roles, life on set, and what makes the wizarding world so special.

The interview, published in the magazine’s November issue, offers a fun look at the experience of stepping into three of the most recognizable roles in children’s literature. And it includes a little tease about a scene we’ve been looking forward to seeing again.

A Room Full of Harrys, Rons, and Hermiones

McLaughlin remembers his audition experience fondly, despite the nerves that naturally came with it. He made friends during the process, some of whom he’s still in touch with, although he says competing against a room full of other aspiring Hogwarts students was a strange experience.

When he finally learned he’d been cast as Harry, he was with his father. Neither quite knew how to react.

“I was shocked and happy,” McLaughlin recalled, adding that the news didn’t feel real at the time and, remarkably, still doesn’t.

Stanton described finding out she’d landed Hermione as a surreal experience, while Stout said he was shaking with excitement. Of course, getting the part is one thing. Taking on characters previously played by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint is another.

Stout admitted that there’s pressure to get Ron right, particularly knowing how much the character means to readers. But he’s also determined to make the role his own. Ron was more than comic relief in the books, and the longer format of a television series should give Stout plenty of room to explore his loyalty, insecurities, and occasional flashes of brilliance.

Ron’s Wizard’s Chess Scene Is Getting the Action Treatment

One of the interview’s more interesting details came when Stout was asked about a memorable moment from filming.

He recalled performing a stunt in which he was thrown backward from a chessboard, comparing the anticipation to reaching the top of a roller coaster before the drop. That certainly sounds like the giant wizard’s chess sequence near the end of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, when Ron sacrifices himself during the trio’s journey to protect the Stone.

It’s one of the book’s most memorable moments for Ron, demonstrating his strategic thinking and willingness to put himself in danger for his friends. We got a version of it in the 2001 film, and plenty of memes more recently, but we’re curious to see how HBO handles the sequence, particularly with the additional time available to develop Ron’s character.

Stout’s description also suggests that the scene involved some fairly exciting practical stunt work, at least for the young actor.

A Harry Potter Adaptation With More Room for the Books

Stanton also spoke about what sets the television series apart from the films, emphasizing the additional material the new adaptation can include.

“The series includes more material from the books that wasn’t in the films,” she explained.

She added that the show spends more time with its characters and goes into greater detail, something she expects readers of the books to appreciate. We’ve already seen hints of that approach in the promotional material released so far, from the expanded look at Hogwarts life to characters and details that didn’t make it into the original films.

And with the series arriving 25 years after the first movie, there’s a whole generation who will be experiencing this version of Hogwarts as their introduction to the story.

McLaughlin seems to understand why Harry Potter has managed to connect with so many different generations. Asked about the series’ lasting appeal, he pointed to its themes of happiness, sadness, fear, love, and grief, and how readers grow alongside the characters.

It’s a thoughtful answer, especially from someone now tasked with bringing Harry’s own coming-of-age story to the screen.

You can read the full interview, including more from all three actors, in Scholastic News.

HBO’s Harry Potter premieres December 25, 2026.

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