How to Get Cast in Harry Potter: The Real Path to an HBO Audition
Of all five titles in this series, this one has the strongest “you could actually audition” angle. HBO’s Harry Potter didn’t just cast through agents and drama schools — it ran a genuinely open casting call that pulled in more than 30,000 children. And right now, with Seasons 1 and 2 filming back-to-back, casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann are actively filling Season 2 roles. If you’re an actor — kid or adult — this is the guide for how to get cast in Harry Potter.
The Show at a Glance
HBO’s Harry Potter is a decade-scale television adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s books, produced at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in England. Season 1 is officially expected in 2027 (some press reports have floated a possible late-2026 debut, but HBO’s official line is 2027). The production made an unusual and actor-friendly decision: film Season 1 and Season 2 back-to-back, which means the casting operation isn’t a one-and-done event. It’s an ongoing pipeline.
The main cast is locked: Dominic McLaughlin plays Harry, Arabella Stanton plays Hermione, and Alastair Stout plays Ron. The adult cast is stacked — John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as McGonagall, Nick Frost as Hagrid, and Paapa Essiedu as Snape. But a show that spans seven years of Hogwarts life needs hundreds of performers beyond the leads: students in every year and house, professors, Ministry officials, shopkeepers, creature performers, and armies of background artists to fill the Great Hall, Diagon Alley, and Hogsmeade.
That’s the opportunity. On a production this size, the casting team is a standing operation, not a single hiring wave.
The Casting Directors: Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann
Know who you’re auditioning for. This matters more than most actors think, because casting directors have tastes, patterns, and relationships — and both of these CDs run on open-calling as much as on agent relationships.
Lucy Bevan is one of the UK’s most in-demand casting directors. Her credits include Barbie (2023), The Batman (2022), Belfast (2021), Cruella (2021), and the Apple TV+ series Masters of the Air (2024). That filmography tells you something: she casts massive ensembles across genres — blockbuster IP, period drama, comic-book noir. She knows how to find unknown faces and put them next to movie stars.
Emily Brockmann is her partner on the Potter series, and her credits are equally heavyweight: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Belfast (2021) alongside Bevan, Matilda: The Musical (2022) — for which she won an Artios Award, the casting industry’s top honor — and Ready Player One. The Matilda credit is the one to study: a huge children’s ensemble cast largely from open calls, which is exactly the muscle this show needs.
The duo’s own words confirm their approach. HBO showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod said publicly: “After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron.” That “extraordinary search” was the 30,000-plus-child open call in April 2025, open to kids aged 9 to 11 across the UK and Ireland. Trade reporting in September 2026 confirmed Bevan and Brockmann are now casting Season 2 roles — including Colin Creevey, with a Ginny Weasley recast also reported. When a CD team announces Season 2 casting while Season 1 is still filming, the door is open.
What Roles They’re Casting Right Now
Based on what’s been publicly reported, here’s the realistic role landscape:
Season 2 speaking roles — actively casting. The reported Colin Creevey casting is the headline. Colin is a first-year Gryffindor, an obsessive Harry fan with a camera — a kid’s role, which means another youth search is likely. The reported Ginny Weasley recast suggests Season 2 is expanding the Weasley family presence. Expect more: each new school year introduces new students, and new storylines introduce new adult characters (shopkeepers, Ministry staff, parents).
Recurring Hogwarts students. Seven years of school means dozens of named and semi-named students across four houses. Many will be cast as day players or recurring guest stars rather than series regulars — the sweet spot for working actors.
Adult supporting roles. Professors, Ministry of Magic officials, Diagon Alley merchants, Death Eaters, Order of the Phoenix members. The adult casting skews toward established UK actors, but guest spots are real opportunities.
Creature and specialty performers. Harry Potter needs goblins, house-elves (often a mix of performance-capture and voice), centaurs, and other magical beings. If you’re a physical performer, dancer, or stunt-adjacent actor, specialty casting is a genuine lane.
Background artists and extras. The Great Hall scenes alone need hundreds of students. Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade weekends, Quidditch matches — this show will employ more background artists over its run than almost any UK production in history. Extras casting typically runs through dedicated background agencies, and it’s the most accessible door for performers without agent representation.
How to Apply: Step by Step
Step 1: Build a sharp Project Casting profile
Before anything else, get your materials in order on a platform casting teams actually browse. Create your free profile on Project Casting with your age range, location, union status, and special skills front and center. Casting teams use casting platforms to source talent every day — a complete profile with current photos is the baseline that makes you submittable. Half-finished profiles with a single blurry photo don’t get clicked. Fill every field: height, playing age, accents, instruments, sports, stage combat, creature movement — for this show, the weirder your skill list, the better.
Step 2: Get your headshots and resume right
For UK casting — and Bevan and Brockmann are UK casting directors — the standard is clean, natural headshots that look like you on a normal Tuesday. For kids, this matters doubly: no glamour shots, no heavy retouching, hair as it normally looks. Casting directors for children’s roles need to see the actual child, because they’ll grow and change across a multi-year shoot.
Your resume should list training, credits, and special skills honestly. For child actors, list the school drama productions and youth theatre — it all counts at that age. Keep it to one page.
Step 3: Agent vs. self-submit — know both lanes
With an agent: If you have UK representation, your agent submits you directly to the casting office for appropriate roles. For Season 2 speaking parts, this is the primary lane. Make sure your agent knows you’re targeting the show — agents submit hundreds of clients, and a specific “put me up for Potter” conversation puts you on their radar for breakdowns as they drop.
Without an agent: This is where the open-call history matters. The trio search was a public open call, and Season 2’s youth roles will likely follow the same pattern — public announcements, online submission portals, self-taped first rounds. Watch for announcements from HBO, Warner Bros., and the casting directors’ offices. Self-tapes are the great equalizer: a great tape from an unrepresented actor beats a mediocre tape from a represented one, every time. For self-tapes, use a plain background, natural light, a reader off-camera, and slate clearly with your name, age, and location.
Step 4: The background and extras route
Don’t sleep on this. On a production of this scale, background work is a legitimate career door — many working actors started as extras on big productions, learned set etiquette, got seen by assistant directors, and graduated to featured and speaking roles. Register with the major UK background agencies and keep your [INTERNAL LINK: current extras and background listings — today’s open background calls] bookmarked and checked daily. Leavesden productions draw heavily from the local background pool, so if you’re within commuting distance of the studio, say so on your profile — availability is a real competitive advantage.
Step 5: Watch for the next open call like it’s your job
The 30,000-kid call happened once, but the Season 2 youth casting is happening now, and Seasons 3 through 7 will each need new young faces as the story’s timeline advances. Set up alerts for “Harry Potter casting” news, follow the trades (Deadline, Variety), and check casting platforms weekly. When an open call drops, submit within the first 48 hours — early submissions get more attention before reader fatigue sets in.
Realistic Tips That Actually Matter
Play your real age range. The trio search targeted ages 9–11. If you’re 19 playing 14, you’re competing against actual 14-year-olds with actual 14-year-old faces. Be honest about your playing age on your profile — casting directors filter by it.
British and Irish actors have a structural advantage. This is a UK production casting UK stories. The open call was UK and Ireland. If you’re based elsewhere, you’d need a UK agent and the right to work in the UK — that’s a real barrier, not a suggestion.
Accents are currency. Regional UK accents, Irish accents, and Received Pronunciation all have homes in this world. If you do a credible accent, list it and have a sample ready. Don’t claim one you can’t sustain through a two-minute scene.
Kids: the parents are part of the audition. For child roles, casting directors assess the family situation — can the parents commit to months of filming, tutoring schedules, and chaperoning? Professional, reliable, low-drama parents are a genuine casting factor. If you’re a parent reading this: be organized, be on time, and let your kid’s personality do the work.
Study the CDs’ taste. Watch Matilda: The Musical and Belfast with a casting eye. Notice the naturalism Bevan and Brockmann favor — real kids who feel like real kids, not stage-school polish. Then calibrate your tape accordingly.
Don’t pay to audition. Real casting for this show will never ask for an audition fee. If anyone charges you for “guaranteed” Potter access, it’s a scam. Full stop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Harry Potter still casting?
Yes — for Season 2. Season 1’s leads are locked, but trade reporting from September 2026 confirms casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann are actively casting Season 2 roles, including Colin Creevey. With back-to-back filming and a multi-season plan, casting is an ongoing operation.
How old do you have to be to audition?
It depends on the role. The open call for Harry, Hermione, and Ron targeted ages 9–11. Adult roles have no age cap — the cast includes performers from their 20s to their 70s. Always check the specific breakdown’s age requirements.
Do I need an agent to audition for Harry Potter?
Not necessarily. The trio was found through a public open call that drew 30,000+ children, many without agents. Speaking roles generally go through agents, but open calls and self-tape submissions are a real lane — especially for youth roles and background work.
Where is Harry Potter filming?
Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in England, plus UK locations. Seasons 1 and 2 are filming back-to-back there.
When does the Harry Potter series come out?
HBO’s official expectation is 2027 for Season 1, though some press reports have suggested a possible late-2026 debut. Treat 2027 as the official date.
Who are the casting directors for the Harry Potter series?
Lucy Bevan (Barbie, The Batman, Belfast) and Emily Brockmann (Deadpool & Wolverine, Matilda: The Musical) are casting the series together, confirmed by HBO’s showrunner and director in the official trio announcement.
