Barratt cast as Riddle alongside Rush and Hill in Potter season two
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HBO has confirmed three more casting choices for the second season of its Harry Potter television series, filling roles that had remained open since the show's renewal was announced. Billy Barratt, the youngest-ever International Emmy winner, will play the teenage Tom Riddle, the young incarnation of Lord Voldemort; Lenny Rush has been cast as the house-elf Dobby; and Bonnie Hill takes on Ginny Weasley, replacing Gracie Cochrane, who chose not to return after Season 1. The announcements matter because all three characters become central to the plot in Chamber of Secrets, the book on which Season 2 is based, and confirm the production's continued approach of casting younger actors than the original films used.
Barratt, 16, is close in age to the book's version of Riddle, whereas the 2002 film cast a 23-year-old in the role; Rush, 17, takes on Dobby in a marked departure from the CGI creation voiced by Toby Jones in the films, with HBO yet to say whether the character will be animated, motion-captured or played with prosthetics. The trio join previously announced Season 2 addition Kit Harington, cast as Gilderoy Lockhart, alongside returning stars Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton. Season 2 is due to begin filming this autumn, following the Christmas premiere of Season 1 on HBO and HBO Max.
- HBO casts Billy Barratt as young Tom Riddle for Harry Potter Season 2
- Lenny Rush to play Dobby; Bonnie Hill replaces Gracie Cochrane as Ginny
- Season 2, based on Chamber of Secrets, begins filming this autumn
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Barratt cast as Riddle alongside Rush and Hill in Potter season two is about HBO's ongoing television adaptation of the Harry Potter books, which is being made as a multi-season series rather than a set of films. The first season, covering the opening book, premiered on HBO and HBO Max at Christmas, and the show has already been renewed for a second season based on the second book, Chamber of Secrets.
The key figures here are the young actors being cast in the show. Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton play the three central characters and are returning for season two, alongside Kit Harington, previously announced as a new addition. Billy Barratt, Lenny Rush and Bonnie Hill are the latest actors confirmed for the new season, taking on roles that become important once the story moves into its second instalment.
This matters because casting decisions shape how audiences receive an adaptation of a much-loved book series, and comparisons are often drawn with the earlier Harry Potter films, which used different actors and techniques for the same characters. The production has generally cast actors closer in age to the characters as written in the books, which is a point of difference from the original film series.
Coverage
- Polygon — HBO’s Harry Potter Reveals New Dobby and Young Voldemort Replacements
- Collider — HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Officially Casts Voldemort
- Variety — ‘Harry Potter’ HBO Series Casts Dobby, Ginny Weasley and Tom Riddle for ‘Chamber of Secrets’ Season 2
- The Hollywood Reporter — HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Casts Tom Riddle, Dobby and a New Ginny Weasley
- Deadline — ‘Harry Potter’ Finds Its New Ginny Weasley, Casts Tom Riddle & Dobby Roles In HBO Series Season 2
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