Actor Daniel Radcliffe first rose to fame at just 11 years old when he portrayed the titular character in the Harry Potter film series based on the book series of the same name by J.K. Rowling.
Now, he is reaching out with words of encouragement for the next generation of young stars within the franchise.
In a November 18 interview on Good Morning America Radcliffe shared that he recently wrote a letter to 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin who is playing Harry Potter in the upcoming HBO TV series adaptation.
The HBO series plans to follow the plot of one book per season of the show for a full retelling of the book series.
“I wouldn’t say that anyone who is going to play Harry has to [talk to me], but I know a few people working on the production,” Radcliffe explained in the interview. “I wrote to Dominic and sent him a letter, and he sent me a very sweet note back.”
“I do not want to be a specter in the life of these children at all,” Radcliffe clarified. “I just wanted to write to him and 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.’”
For Radcliffe, it’s hard to believe that he was once in McLaughlin’s shoes, just a young boy starting his acting career by portraying a beloved magical literary character.
“I just see these pictures of him and the other kids, and I just want to hug them,” he continued. “They just seem so young. I just look at them and say, ‘Oh, it’s crazy I was doing that at that age.’ But it’s also incredibly sweet, and I hope they’re having a great time.”
The new HBO Harry Potter series is not set to begin airing until 2027, but has reportedly already begun filming episodes over the summer.
