‘Harry Potter’ star Dominic McLaughlin reacts to “insane” letter sent by Daniel Radcliffe

Posted On December 1, 2025December 1, 2025

Dominic McLaughlin, the child actor playing the lead role in the HBO remake of the Harry Potter series, has said it was “insane” to receive a letter from Daniel Radcliffe.

McLaughlin was appearing on a recent episode of the children’s entertainment show Saturday Mash Up Live on CBBC when he discussed his first brush with his Harry Potter predecessor, who wrote to him to wish him luck in the role.

He said (via Deadline): “It was insane,” before explaining that he was on a train back to his home in Glasgow when he received the letter.

“My dad tapped me on the train and just gave me this letter. I read it and then I got to the bottom, and it said, ‘Dan R.’ I was going mad, but I had to [keep cool]. I was on the train,” McLaughlin added.

It comes as Radcliffe revealed previously that he had sent the letter in question to the new Harry Potter star, but noted that he did not want to intrude on the process of the series.

“I don’t want to be a spectre 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’,” the actor told Good Morning America.

Radcliffe also said that seeing pictures of McLaughlin and his child co-stars made him realise just how young he too was when he began shooting the film franchise, adding: “I just want to hug them. They just seem so young.”

Elsewhere during his own interview, when asked how filming was coming along on the upcoming new series, McLaughlin said: “It’s going amazing, it’s going really well. I’ve made good friends with everyone, it’s great to be there.”

The first series of the HBO remake is set to hit the screen in 2027, with the plot equivalent to the first instalment of the original franchise, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

Alongside McLaughlin, he will be joined in the lead roles by Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. 

The adult ensemble cast is set to include The cast also includes Nick Frost as Hagrid, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch, and Luke Fallon as Quirinus Quirrell.

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