Where have you seen new Harry Potter actors Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton before? BBC ties, West End star cast & more

HBO has announced the most-awaited casting lineup of its Harry Potter reboot series, and to the surprise of many, it wasn’t what fans expected. While there were rumours about some prominent actors in the industry being considered for the lead roles of Harry, Hermione, and Ron, it turns out the makers want to recreate the original trio charm by casting fresh faces—Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout—some of whom doesn’t even have prior acting credits. However, while they might be new to your eyes, they aren’t completely new to the industry, and unless you’re deep into theatre circles, you’ve probably never heard of them before.

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Who is new Harry Potter star, Dominic McLaughlin?

The iconic role of Harry Potter, earlier played by Daniel Radcliffe in JK Rowling’s series, will be replaced by Scottish child actor Dominic McLaughlin in its HBO version. The series is neither a continuation nor a sequel to the original, and is a new adaptation of the Hogwarts adventure from the book. Dominic is a newcomer, which also means this is going to be his first ever big onscreen role, just like Radcliffe, who was roped in at a very early age of 11 and later went on to act in 8 films of the franchise. For Dominic, he doesn’t have a big list of previous acting work. HBO revealed that a casting call was announced for children between the ages of 9 and 11 last year. Dominic was picked through that process. The actor has previously acted in an upcoming comedy titled Grow, on Sky, also starring Nick Frost, who will play Hagrid’s role in the new Harry Potter series, which means this is already an early on-screen reunion of sorts.

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Who is new Hermione Granger, Arabella Stanton

Among all three major casts of the Harry Potter reboot series, Arabella, who is set to play Hermione Granger—the role that skyrocketed Emma Watson to the top—has the most acting credits. Stanton has previously acted in Matilda: The Musical on the West End and is quite a popular name already. She made her acting debut in 2023 and has since impressed the audience with her charm and acting, having fans hailing the new casting as one of its best among the three. For Watson, she hasn’t done much acting post Harry Potter, but she did star in Beauty and the Beast and Little Women. To make it official, HBO Max even dropped a promo photo featuring Dominic, Arabella, and Alastair, standing together in a field (very Hogwarts vibes).

Also read: HBO reveals actors cast as Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in upcoming series

Who is the new Ron Weasley, Alastair Stout

The red-headed wizard role in the Harry Potter series will be played by Stout, who has no prior acting credits, and the HBO show is going to be his big breakthrough. This is one of the most closely matched castings, almost identical to Rupert Grint — the uncanny similarity between the two actors has left Potterheads buzzing. Post Harry Potter, Grint starred in a few projects, including Snatch and Sick Note on Netflix, Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders, Apple TV Plus’ Servant, and more. There’s no exact release date for the show yet, but HBO had earlier said they aim to release it sometime in 2026 or 2027.