Rupert Grint has officially handed over the Hogwarts torch — and he did it in the most wholesome way.
The Harry Potter alum, 37, revealed he personally reached out to Alastair Stout, the young star now stepping into the role of HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot. Before filming kicked off, Grint said he wrote Stout a heartfelt note offering support as he steps into one of the most beloved franchises of all time.
“I wrote him a letter before they started, passing the baton as it were,” Grint told the BBC in November 2025. “It was really just wishing him all the best with it. I had so much fun stepping into this world, and I hope he has the same experience… It’s quite strange to have the cycle happening again. I’m really intrigued [about] what it’s going to be like.”
Stout will appear alongside Dominic McLaughlin as Harry and Arabella Stanton as Hermione when the series premieres, marking the first on-screen trio since the original films wrapped in 2011. And yes — Grint approves of the casting.
The actor admitted there’s “a bit of family resemblance” between himself and Stout, adding, “I think it’s great that it’s a whole new thing. It’s going to be its own thing, and I think that will be fun.”
He’s not the only Harry Potter actor that has given his stamp of approval. Daniel Radcliffe also wrote a letter to McLaughlin, revealing earlier this month on Good Morning America that he received “a very sweet note back.”
“I don’t want to be a specter in the life of these children but I just wanted to write to him 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. “And I do, I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them. 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.”
As for Grint, he knows he’ll forever be linked to his on-screen counterpart — and he’s more than OK with that.
“I’m fine with that. I think it’s great,” he said. “I love meeting people who really felt this was part of their childhood… I don’t think I’ll ever quite step out of his shadow, but I’m fine with that.”
The reboot is expected to premiere on HBO and Max in 2027.
