Jared Harris has ruled himself out of appearing in the upcoming TV adaptation of the Harry Potter novel series.
The British actor, 63, star of TV shows such as The Crown, Mad Men, and Chernobyl, is the son of original Albus Dumbledore actor Richard Harris.
Harris, who died in 2002 aged 72, played the headmaster of Hogwarts School in the first two Harry Potter films, the Philosopher’s Stone and the Chamber of Secrets.
After his death, he was succeeded by esteemed actor Michael Gambon, who played Dumbledore in six subsequent Potter films before his death in 2023, aged 82.
With American producers planning to bring the seven Harry Potter books to TV in the next few years, Jared was asked if he’s interested in stepping into his father’s shoes.
His answer was pretty definitive: ‘No, thank you.’
Speaking to The Independent, he also questioned the reasons behind the creation of the prospective series, which could stretch to seven seasons if deemed successful enough.
‘Also, I mean, why do it? I don’t understand. The films were fantastic – leave them alone,’ he declared, praising the work done by the movies starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint.
Jared became widely known to TV viewers after starring as Lane Pryce in the American series Mad Men, also starring Black Mirror actor Jon Hamm and The Handmaid’s Tale star Elisabeth Moss.
After Mad Men, he starred as King George VI in the historical drama series The Crown, before portraying Soviet scientist Valery Legasov in the 2019 series Chernobyl.
For his work, Jared has been nominated for two Emmys and one Bafta, winning the latter award in 2019 for best actor in the series that retold the story of the nuclear disaster in 1986.
Away from TV, the Mad Men actor has starred in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Morbius, Ocean’s Twelve, Natural Born Killers, and The Man from UNCLE, among others.
Warner Bros. and HBO, who are the two TV powerhouses behind the series, have confirmed that the casting call for leading parts will be entirely open to members of the public.
With a focus on children from the UK and Ireland, the official casting process hasn’t begun yet but is expected to ramp up in the very near future.
The series has received backlash already – not just from actors like Harris but from potential viewers too – for a number of wide-ranging reasons.
While some fans believe the series is coming too soon after the conclusion of the 10-year movie saga, others are worried that the series will only become ‘more woke’ with time.
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On the other end of the spectrum, some Potterverse fans want nothing to do with the series amid ongoing discourse regarding the anti-trans views of the novel series’ author JK Rowling.