Jared Harris has officially ruled himself out of reprising the role his late father, Richard Harris, made famous in the original Harry Potter films.
The Irish Oscar nominee played Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in the first two films of the series, before the role was recast after his death in October 2002. Michael Gambon, who passed away in September 2023, played the character in the remainder of the films.
The upcoming Harry Potter TV series, which has already sparked debate among fans, will reintroduce familiar characters with a brand-new cast. Casting calls for Harry, Ron, and Hermione are now open, fueling speculation over who might step into these iconic roles.
While Gary Oldman, who portrayed Sirius Black in the film adaptations, has expressed interest in playing Dumbledore, Jared Harris made it clear he has no intention of getting involved in the reboot.
Despite his family connection to the beloved character, the Mad Men actor has distanced himself from the project.
In a new interview with The Independent’s Go to Bat, Harris was asked if he’d be interested in playing Dumbledore in the HBO reboot, to which he replied: “No, thank you.”
He added: “Also, I mean, why do it? I don’t understand. The films were fantastic – leave them alone.”
Harris admitted that the TV series has the opportunity to explore “a lot of storytelling” that was omitted from the film franchise.
During the interview, he reflected on working on the 2016 documentary The Ghost of Richard Harris, which chronicled his father’s life.
He shared a poignant detail, revealing that his father, the Gladiator actor, had begun writing his autobiography while in the hospital, only for a nurse to mistakenly discard all of his notes.
He shared: “I don’t know how far he’d got with it. We just wanted something that gave you an idea of who he was and what he was like. You get close to it but it’s not the whole picture at all.”
