The Cast Of Harry Potter Looks Very Different These Days

Tom Felton scooped awards for portraying villain Draco Malfoy – the bully everyone loves to hate. “If young children boo me, that makes my day,” he’s been quoted as saying. In reality, though, Felton couldn’t be more different from Draco. In 2017 he told a young Potter fan, “Do you wanna hear a secret? I’m nice in real life. It’s only Draco that’s mean.”

Clémence Poésy only appeared briefly in the Potter movies as Fleur Delacour, but she certainly made an impression. And the quarter-Veela must have captivated talent scouts as well as audiences, as she’s now a successful actor on French television. Poésy fans can see her in dark drama The Tunnel and in 2021’s En thérapie. Oh, and you may have spotted the star in Tenet, too.

Remember little Colin Creevey and his camera in The Chamber of Secrets? He’s all grown up! Since Colin’s untimely demise, though, his actor, Hugh Mitchell, has been in The Da Vinci Code as young Silas. He’s also popped up in a ton of TV series, and his life’s begun to imitate art. Yep, much like his Harry Potter counterpart, Hugh’s a keen photographer! You can see his work on Instagram.

True-to-character, James and Oliver Phelps skipped school to audition for the parts of Fred and George Weasley. And perhaps their most memorable scene in the movies was the moment of Fred’s death. Understandably, Oliver was heartbroken at seeing his real-life brother pass away on screen. “I took one look at James on the stretcher and burst into tears,” the actor said. “I can’t even imagine how it would feel to lose him.” Aww.

Luke Youngblood appeared in the first two Harry Potter films as Quidditch commentator Lee Jordan. And just as Lee used his voice to reach a larger audience, Youngblood’s done the same. Since his time on the Harry Potter set, the actor has lent his dulcet tones to various video games and animated TV series. Sounds like he found his calling.

Chris Rankin’s biggest role in front of the camera has probably been as Percy Weasley in the Harry Potter movies. But he’s also tried his hand at things behind the scenes. Rankin was a production coordinator behind seven episodes of TV’s Downton Abbey as well as eight episodes of A Discovery of Witches. Now, that’s a step up from head boy!

Vincent Crabbe – played by Jamie Waylett – was one of Draco’s goons in most of the Harry Potter movies. Sadly, though, a criminal charge cost Waylett his role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. That seemed to spell the end for his career, too, as he hasn’t acted since.

While Dean Thomas wasn’t one of Harry’s inner circle, he did still appear in most of the movies. And in 2016 Alfie Enoch told Entertainment Weekly that he appreciated Dean’s grounding presence, saying, “I always felt Dean was quite funny. He’s like an ordinary guy.” The actor’s other memorable performances? Well, he was Wes in a little show called How to Get Away with Murder. Maybe you’ve heard of it?

If you’re a fan of Fear the Walking Dead, this may come as a surprise. Frank Dillane, who plays Nick, is actually teen Tom Riddle from The Half-Blood Prince. Yes, really! But while both those characters are screen history now, you can get your Dillane fix in 2021’s The Girlfriend Experience.

Coincidentally, Harry Potter’s mean cousin Dudley was played by another Harry – Melling, that is. And the actor dropped so much weight during filming that he nearly lost the role. Yikes! Thankfully, special effects came to the rescue. Melling also played Harry Beltik in The Queen’s Gambit, in case you didn’t recognize him.

Miranda Richardson appeared as the manipulative Rita Skeeter in two Harry Potter movies: The Goblet of Fire and The Deathly Hallows – Part 1. And following the end of the movie franchise, she told Behind the Lens that the Potter series is timeless. “I think it’s a great thing to be part of,” Richardson explained in 2011. “I think it’s something that’s gonna last, even though special effects move on at pace.”

You may recall Marcus Flint – the Slytherin Quidditch player with the prominent teeth – from The Chamber of Secrets. Well, his actor, Jamie Yeates, had to wear dentures for that, er, unusual mouth. But Yeates is looking a lot better nowadays, and – in what may come as a surprise – he’s now a successful model.

Harry’s fellow Gryffindor student Lavender Brown, played by Jessie Cave, featured in the last three Potter films. But Cave herself has branched out since. In addition to acting in various TV shows, she’s now a successful stand-up comedian. Coincidentally, she’s also voicing a character named Belinda Potter in an upcoming animation called, well, The Potters. Funny old world, isn’t it?

The Harry Potter movies were something of a family affair for Bill Weasley star Domhnall Gleeson. Remember Mad-Eye Moody? He was played by Domhnall’s dad, Brendan! And like his pop, the Irish actor has gone from strength to strength ever since. You may have recognized him as General Hux in Star Wars: Episode VIII ‒ The Last Jedi and its follow-up The Rise of Skywalker.

Katie Leung, a.k.a. Cho Chang, has branched out since playing Harry Potter’s romantic interest. More recently, the roles she’s taken – including a part in Jackie Chan’s The Foreigner – have largely honored her Chinese heritage. The star has made these screen appearances memorable and complex. “Just because they have been race-specific doesn’t mean that I’m playing this one-dimensional character,” Leung told the BBC in 2016.

Now that we’ve seen Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role. In 2019, however, Smith told the Evening Standard that the part didn’t exactly stretch her and “wasn’t what you’d call satisfying.” That sounds harsh, but the veteran actress was grateful for the opportunity all the same. And, charmingly, she’s claimed that being in the Harry Potter movies allowed her to get even closer to her five grandchildren. Aww.

Matthew Lewis's transformation from unassuming teenager to muscular stud inspired the term Neville Longbottoming – or, basically, becoming hot. Lewis remains modest about this feat, though, telling HelloGiggles in 2018, “I never thought in my wildest dreams that one day I would have coined a phrase.” After leaving the Harry Potter movies behind, the heartthrob has been a regular on British TV screens, with performances in gory drama Ripper Street and the more gentle All Creatures Great and Small.

Scarlett Hefner, née Byrne, played the Slytherin witch Pansy Parkinson in the last three Potter movies. It wasn’t the last time she was in a sci-fi series, either, as she went on to star in TNT’S alien invasion drama Falling Skies. And, well, she didn’t suck as Nora Hildegard in The CW’s The Vampire Diaries. Does her new surname sound familiar? That’s probably because she married the son of late Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner in 2019.

Hagrid’s popularity arguably reaches beyond the Potter books, and Robbie Coltrane portrayed the kindly half-giant perfectly on screen. In 2009, though, the British star said that he didn’t recognize himself after the makeup team had finished turning him into the big wizard. Coltrane’s reaction to seeing his reflection? “Good God, who’s that?” Coltrane sadly passed away in October of 2022. No one else could have played Hagrid, and his costars and fans will fondly remember him.

Before Harry Potter, Jason Isaacs already had a string of unforgettable roles under his belt. Playing the detestable Lucius Malfoy just added to the magic. And after his audition, Isaacs got so into the Harry Potter books ‒ which he called “crack” ‒ that he read four of them consecutively. With that kind of passion, it’s no surprise he made such a convincing villain.

Harry Potter regulars Shefali Chowdhury and Afshan Azad played witchy twins Padma and Parvati Patil. And you can still see Azad in front of a camera, although nowadays she’s likely to be striking a pose during modeling shoots. Chowdhury, on the other hand, has been in a number of short films in recent years, including Odilo Fabian – which also stars Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville – and Stephen King adaptation I Am the Doorway.

Gary Oldman brought his undeniable acting chops to the role of Harry’s tragically doomed godfather Sirius Black. But the Oscar-winning Hollywood veteran didn’t think the series was beneath him. Quite the contrary, in fact! In 2016 Oldman told Balitang America, “Being part of Harry Potter is a great thing. It’s a cinematic phenomena, and no one will ever do anything quite like it again or come close to it.”

As Gregory Goyle, Josh Herdman was fearsome indeed. Draco’s goon would have been even scarier, however, if he’d had Herdman’s fighting skills. Yep, the actor took up mixed martial arts in 2016, although he’s still seen on screen to this day. His most notable post-Potter roles include Righteous in 2018’s Robin Hood and as Stan in the British TV series Alex Rider.

Remember Seamus Finnigan? He was the Irish wizard who, well, exploded every so often. And he was portrayed by Devon Murray, who’s only acted in one film since, with an uncredited role in 2018’s Damo & Ivor The Movie. But Murray seems content enough, as one look at his Instagram page proves. “You have made me the happiest person in the world,” he wrote on the social media site in February 2021. Who was he referring to? His newborn son.

The evil Lord Voldemort didn’t just leave a lasting impression on fans. Oh, no – he also had an impact on established actor Ralph Fiennes. You see, in 2019 Fiennes lightheartedly told the BBC’s Newsnight that he wouldn’t want to see anyone else in the role. “I feel a kind of affection for Voldemort,” the Oscar nominee explained. “So, if there was a world in which Voldemort came back, I would be very possessive about wanting to reprise that.”

Aunt Marge didn’t have the biggest role in the Potterverse, but fans will always remember her as the terrible woman who insulted Harry until he turned her into a balloon. And since the movies, actress Pam Ferris has kept busy with TV shows – most notably as Sister Evangelina in Call the Midwife. She has another link to fantasy, too, after portraying Mrs. Faulkner in 2019’s Tolkien – all about the Lord of the Rings author.

Though we love to hate David Bradley’s character Argus Filch, we’re glad that his cat Mrs. Norris wasn’t turned into a, well, purrmanent statue. As for Bradley himself, he’s barely stopped since the Harry Potter movies left theaters. He’s appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger and horror series The Strain, for instance, although you may also recognize him as Walder Frey in Game of Thrones. He’s not averse to voice acting, either, and so you could have heard his vocal talents without even realizing it.

Few villains inspire hate as much as one-time defense against the dark arts teacher Dolores Umbridge. Her actress appears to loathe her, too. Back in 2016, Imelda Staunton told Entertainment Weekly, “I think [Dolores is] a monster and [should] be played as such.” That’s not mincing words! Perhaps Staunton will find it light relief, then, to portray the Queen in season five of The Crown.

Sean Biggerstaff’s last name could almost be a name for a Potterverse wand! Maybe he was destined to play young Quidditch captain Oliver Wood in The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets. And since his Potter days, Biggerstaff’s been in a lot of TV shorts. His next, er, big role, though, is in mysterious upcoming thriller Hector & Himself.

Ginny Weasley’s importance to the Potterverse grew as the movie series went on. She even ended up as – spoiler alert! – Harry Potter’s wife. And since leaving those films behind, Bonnie Wright has practically proved herself to be a Renaissance woman. She’s acted, modeled, and has been behind the camera as both a director and producer for short films. How does she find the time?!

You know Moaning Myrtle, the creepy 14-year-old ghost girl who hung around the Hogwarts restrooms? Well, she was actually played by Shirley Henderson – who was actually in her mid-30s when she appeared in The Chamber of Secrets. Color us shocked! Henderson has more age-appropriate roles under her belt, however – most notably Jude in Bridget Jones’s Baby. She also voiced Babu Frik in Star Wars blockbuster The Rise of Skywalker.

Ian Hart got ahead of the game when he played Professor Quirrell, the host body for Lord Voldemort. So, what’s he doing when he doesn’t have the personification of evil attached to his skull? Well, he’s appearing on British TV, for one. Hart’s added acclaimed alternate history series Noughts + Crosses and crime drama Tin Star to his resume, for example. You may know him best, however, from Netflix’s Viking drama The Last Kingdom.

After the tragic death of Richard Harris, Sir Michael Gambon stepped up to play Albus Dumbledore in his stead. And in 2015 Future Movies asked the veteran actor how he managed to ease back into the role of Hogwarts’ headmaster for Fantastic Beasts. Apparently? It was no biggie. Gambon said, “Well, I don’t have to play anyone, really. I just stick on a beard and play me, so it’s no great feat.” Fair enough! Gambon sadly passed away in 2023, but he will be fondly remembered for his own unique Dumbledore.

Natalia Tena has a talent for playing much-loved characters. Her metamorphosing witch alter ego Tonks is a firm fan favorite, as is Osha, her wildling character in Game of Thrones. Can she repeat the process in her mysterious 2021 series Wolfe? Only time will tell, but with Tena’s own chameleonic acting skills, we wouldn’t be surprised.

Evanna Lynch’s charming performance as the eccentric Luna Lovegood won over many – including, it seems, youngsters with autism. “I always get a lot of letters from people with autism who relate to Luna a lot,” Lynch told Insider in 2020. “Obviously, everyone’s very different, and every case of autism is different. But I think that they see that Luna is somebody who doesn’t quite fit in.”

This one may surprise you. Remember the child who played young Tom Riddle in The Chamber of Secrets? Well, that was Christian Coulson, and here he is all grown up! Post-Potter, Coulson’s been landing regular TV work both in the U.K. and the U.S. You may most recognize him, however, for playing music video director Damien George in Nashville.

Rupert Grint seems to still love Ron Weasley. Apparently, he once said of his on-screen alter ego, “The truth is that Ron is my hero. He’s always there for his friends ‒ sometimes belligerently, but there nevertheless. He’s also the comic relief in stressful situations.” And just like Ron, Grint has arachnophobia. Yes, that means he’s struggled to watch the Aragog scenes from The Chamber of Secrets!

Although Hermione Granger was a wallflower, her actress Emma Watson is anything but. Just like Hermione, though, Emma’s well-educated. She’s a campaigner for equal rights, too, though Watson’s cause is women’s issues rather than freeing house elves. And since the Potter movies ended, you’ve probably seen the star as Belle in Disney’s 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast.

If there’s one Harry Potter actor who needs no introduction, it’s Daniel Radcliffe ‒ who, of course, played the famous wizard. We watched him grow into adulthood over the course of the original movies, and it’s safe to say his career has matured with him. DanRad has starred in horror movies, a biopic, a romcom and even a controversial stage show that saw him appear naked. Yikes!

Stanislav Yanevski – a.k.a. Viktor Krum – has bulked up a lot since his Potter days. When’s he’s not pumping iron at the gym, though, he’s still acting, including in the 2011 British film Resistance. Yanevski’s also taken to producing some projects and occasionally Instagrams Potter-related posts. What a dude.