Nick Frost is very much aware that the cast members of HBO's upcoming Harry Potter series are standing on the shoulders of giants. For him, he's quite literally standing on the shoulders of a giant, having been cast as Hagrid, the groudskeeper at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The character was previously played by the late, great Robbie Coltrane in the Harry Potter movies.
The cast of HBO's Harry Potter series is starting to grow. Last month, HBO finally revealed who would play the Golden Trio. After upwards of 30,000 kids auditioned, the series landed on Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. Other key cast members include John Lithgow (Conclave) as Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer (The Menu) as Minerva McGonagall, and Luke Thallon (Present Laughter) is Quirinus Quirrell.
As for Nick Frost, he's determined to offer his own take on Hagrid, rather than imitating Robbie Coltrane's masterful performance. "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 told Collider. "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.”"
Taking on a role in this show is an enormous undertaking. Frost is now tied up for the next decade of his career. His fans will know him best from the Cornetto Trilogy — Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and World's End, The — alongside frequent collaborator Simon Pegg. The two have long been rumored to return for another film. With Frost now playing Hagrid in what promises to be a massive series, another Cornetto movie could be some time away. Perhaps Simon Pegg can join the cast of the Harry Potter show; who would you cast him as?
HBO's Harry Potter series goes into production later this year. No release date has been set, but it's unlikely that we'll see it hit screens before 2027. The intention is for the show to cover all seven of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels in great detail, adapting roughly one book per season.
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