The son of iconic British actor Richard Harris has ruled himself out of the running to become the next Dumbledore, in the upcoming American produced Harry Potter TV series
With a TV adaptation of the Harry Potter series rapidly puffing down the track to Platform nine and three-quarters, a top choice has ruled himself out of the offing for the top job at Hogwarts. Despite his famous father defining the role in the first two films, Jared Harris has said he will not play Dumbledore.
Like his father Richard Harris, Jared seems a natural fit for the role, acting in many of the greatest dramas of the past few decades, starring in prestige award-winning TV series like ‘Mad Men’, ‘The Crown’, and ‘Chernobyl’. But despite the opportunity to follow in his father’s footsteps, when he was asked by the Potter show’s American producers if he wanted to take part, his answer was a reported: “No thank you.”
The death of his father aged 82 after his groundbreaking role as Dumbledore in the first two Harry Potter films, ‘Philosopher’s Stone’ and ‘Chamber of Secrets’, rocked the creators and fans of the blockbuster wizarding world. Although he was replaced by Michael Gambon for the final six films, Richard Harris remained beloved for the gravitas and soft delivery that he brought to the iconic role of Hogwarts Headmaster.
Reprising huge and arguably similar roles like George VI in ‘The Crown’, as well as playing Valery Legasov and winning a BAFTA for Best Actor for 2019’s ‘Chernobyl’, Jared Harris would have been the obvious choice to become the fourth Dumbledore actor – if you include Jude Law as Young Dumbledore in the series’ prequel ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’.
But in an interview with the Independent, his equally lauded son appeared sceptical of the planned Potter TV series, which would similarly adapt all seven of J.K. Rowling’s books as the hugely successful films (2001-2011).
Speaking about the HBO series, the Chernobyl actor said: “Also, I mean, why do it? I don’t understand. The films were fantastic – leave them alone.”
With the series pitched to run for seven series, fans have raised concerns about the pacing of a potential TV adaptation, but Harris added in his interview that there was “a lot of storytelling” that was not included in the films.
With Jared Harris out of the running, there have been reports that acting legend Garry Oldman, who previously reprised the role of Sirius Black in ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’, has thrown his hat into the ring to play the Hogwarts Headmaster in an upcoming adaptation.
Meanwhile, the race to fill the cloaks of Harry, Ron, and Hermione is on, with an open casting call now open for any British children aged 9-11 on April 2025.
“Please prepare a short poem or story of your choosing. It can be from your favourite book, a poem that you love, a monologue from a play or something you’ve created yourself. Please, nothing from ‘Harry Potter’. Please use your own accent. 30 seconds maximum!” the casting call says.
