In a heartwarming anecdote from the U.K.'s CBBC show Saturday Mash-Up! Live, Dominic McLaughlin, the young star of HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV adaptation, shared a special surprise he received on a train journey back to Glasgow. His father, on the train with him, tapped him and presented a letter. As McLaughlin, 11, read the note, his heart raced with excitement upon seeing the initials "Dan R." at the bottom. "It was insane," he exclaimed, managing to keep his cool amidst the thrill of the moment.
During his interview, McLaughlin expressed his delight at how filming has been going so far: "It's going amazing, it's going really well. I've made good friends with everyone, it's great to be there."
This touching moment follows Daniel Radcliffe's own remarks during an appearance on Good Morning America on November 18th, where he spoke about reaching out to the young actor. "I wouldn't say that anyone who is going to play Harry has to [reach out]," Radcliffe said. "I knew a few people working on the production, so I wrote to Dominic and he sent me a very sweet note back."
Radcliffe emphasized that he "doesn't want to be a specter in the light of these children," referring to the cast including McLaughlin, Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley), and Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger), who were announced for their roles in May. "I just wanted to write to him [McLaughlin] to say, 'I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did — I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time,'" Radcliffe said of his letter. "And I do, I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them."
The forthcoming HBO series, an adaptation of J.K. Rowling's book series, kicked off production in July and is set to premiere in 2027. It will adapt each of the franchise's seven books into a separate season over the next few years. While featuring new cast members such as John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Paapa Essiedu as Professor Snape, the series also sees actors like Warwick Davis reprising his role as Charms professor Filius Flitwick.
Photos shared by PEOPLE last month captured several cast members filming scenes at the historic Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire, England – a location tied to the original films as the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire took place there in 2005.
HBO and Max chairman and CEO Casey Bloys expressed his excitement in a press release from Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2023: "I'm delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way... Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world."
