With most main roles (except He Who Shall Not Be Named) cast, HBO’s Harry Potter series is finally taking shape. But for Nick Frost, there’s one big difference he’s already promised.
HBO has commissioned a 10-year, seven-season show scheduled to debut in 2027, but how similar they’ll be to the original Harry Potter movies remains to be seen. In April, six key cast members were announced, including John Lithgow as Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall.
Newcomers Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout have since joined the Harry Potter TV show cast as the titular wizard, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, respectively.
Shaun of the Dead’s (or the Cornetto trilogy, for hardened horror fans) Nick Frost will also be playing Hagrid, but he’s promised fans one thing long before filming even begins.
Nick Frost won’t “try” to be Robbie Coltrane’s Hagrid in Harry Potter series
In an interview with Collider, Frost confirmed he’s not going to try to be a parody of Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in the original film series. Coltrane died in October 2022 at the age of 72.
“You get cast because you’re going to bring something to that. While I’m really aware of what went before me in terms of Robbie [Coltrane]’s amazing performance, I’m never going to try and be Robbie,” he said.
“I’m going to try and do something, not ‘different,’ I think you have to be respectful to the subject matter, but within that, there’s scope for minutia. I always read Hagrid as he’s like a lovely, lost, violent, funny, warm child.
“I think the beauty of being able to do a book a season means I get to explore that a lot more, and I can’t wait. He’s funny! I want it to be funny and cheeky and scared and protective and childlike. That’s what I’m planning on doing.”
While the new TV show is yet to start filming, Frost revealed it’s going to take at least 10-11 months to film a complete season, though he remains unfazed by the upcoming workload.
“I’m just so excited to get going. I’ve gone in to do head sculpts and have your hand stand and stuff, and they say, ‘Oh, have a look at this.’ And you’re like, ‘Wow. That’s the coolest thing.’ I love films. I’ve loved cinema my whole life, so to be part of that universe now and that they’re showing me, like, a dancing mushroom, it’s like, ‘That is so cool!’” he added.
The series doesn’t have an official release date – or any other promotional material – as of yet. In the meantime, we’ll be seeing Frost star in the live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon as Gobber the Belch, hitting cinemas on June 9, 2025.
Volvo: tutta la gamma si aggiorna. Nuovo infotainment e tecnologie