Lanarkshire actor Dominic McLaughlin prepares to lead "delightful adaptation" of Harry Potter books

In May, HBO announced that Dominic McLaughlin will play the role of Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton is Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout is Ron Weasley for the new series based on J.K. Rowling’s boy wizard. More than 30,000 actors auditioned for the lead roles when HBO launched an open casting call last autumn. A Lanarkshire schoolboy was cast in one of the biggest roles in television.

Dominic was a student at The Performance Academy, based in Cambuslang, an established acting and performing arts school with classes taking place in Glasgow, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian.

They congratulated the young actor on winning the role of a lifetime, saying: “We are not sure that this will ever feel real but we said from the start that Dominic was the perfect Harry and we are thrilled for everyone else to see this soon too. Dominic, we will forever be proud of you! We have had an incredible journey with you these last five years at TPA and can’t wait for what’s next on this journey.”

Speaking at an industry event this week, HBO’s Sarah Aubrey said she is visiting the set of the series today. “I just keep thinking, it’s such a delightful adaptation of the books, and I think when people watch it, they [will] think, ‘These are the books.'

“It’s created by a British writer, it’s directed by a British filmmaker and its craftspeople are the best that this country has to offer. I’m so excited for everyone to see it.”

The Harry Potter series is currently filming at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and is targeting a 2027 release, with each season dedicated to one of Rowling’s books.

Dominic recently filmed a Sky Comedy film called Grow alongside Nick Frost, due to be released later this year, and he was also cast in the BBC adaptation of Marilyn Kaye’s novel Gifted. He appeared in a production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, alongside stars Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma, at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh.

The casting announcement for the series from showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod said: “After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione and Ron. The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.”

A statement provided to GlasgowWorld said: “The Performance Academy are thrilled with the announcement of student Dominic McLaughlin cast as Harry Potter in the exiting new TV series. Dominic has always been a hardworking and talented young performer and it was always clear he was headed for terrific things. He has trained with us in acting for screen and stage for the last 5 years and has been represented by our sister company ‘The Performers Agency’ during this time.

“Dominic is no stranger to the screen. He recently wrapped filming Grow, a Sky Comedy project starring Nick Frost, set to premiere later this year.He also appeared in the BBC’s upcoming adaptation of Marilyn Kaye’s Gifted and took to the stage in Macbeth at the Royal Highland Centre in Edinburgh, performing alongside Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma.

“It is exciting times for The Performance Academy who over the last 17 years have been passionate in creating opportunities for their students with a number of talented young performers that are currently involved in great projects including: Haribo current TV ad, The Bombing of Pan Am 103 series currently on BBC1, Tornado - out in cinemas 13th June - with a few others that can’t be discussed until later in the year.

“The Performance Academy have a new Scottish training facilty opening later this year in Cambuslang, with state of the art studios for drama, dance, singing and musical theatre. The launch of their college and in-house talent agency all in one hub , which will allow us to continue to grow and develop.”

The Performance Academy was founded in 2008 and have performance arts classes taking place in Cambuslang, Rutherglen and Bathgate. Introducing their work, the academy say: “We have a passion for the arts and love to educate and develop our performers skills. We have a strong focus on positivity here at TPA and promote this within all all of our classes and teachings.