Daniel Radcliffe on how it's like seeing new Harry Potter cast years later

Daniel Radcliffe says watching a new generation step into the Wizarding World has been an emotional and surreal experience.

The actor, who portrayed Harry Potter across eight films between 2001 and 2011, recently reflected on seeing photos of the young cast leading HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot series, which will adapt each of J. K. Rowling’s seven novels into individual seasons.

Radcliffe shared that he, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson have all spoken about how it feels to see Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, and Arabella Stanton take on the iconic roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

He said their instinct is to “grab them and hug them,” knowing firsthand the magnitude of the journey ahead.

"We have all said, you know, you just see pictures of these kids, and you just want to grab them and hug them. That's the impulse that I think that we, mainly, all have," Radcliffe said of how he, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson are feeling.

Seeing the 11-year-old actors begin filming has also shifted Radcliffe’s perspective on his own childhood. "It's one of those where I think we all just know how the others feel, because we're also feeling it," he told People.

The experience has deepened his appreciation for his parents, whom he credits for guiding him through the spotlight.

"Honestly, it makes me admire,  and I do tell them this, but my parents, more than I was capable of doing at the time. Just going like, 'Wow, you got me through something crazy, and you did it with a huge amount of humour.'"

After having welcomed a son with longtime partner Erin Darke in 2023, Radcliffe admitted the idea of a child navigating similar fame feels overwhelming.

"It's a big task. I feel like I would be so scared of doing that if somebody was like, 'And now your son's going to be doing stuff.' I'd be like, 'Oh man, that's a lot to take in.' "

On the work front, Radcliffe is now focused on new creative territory of his own, including his upcoming Broadway return in The Fall & Rise of Reggie Dinkins.