Harry Potter Remake’s Rumored Lord Voldemort Actor Definitively Responds After Months of Speculation

HBO’s Harry Potter TV remake has already cast most of its major roles for Season 1, but rumors have persisted about Lord Voldemort. The character is hardly in the first book, but does appear on the back of Professor Quirrell’s head. The Harry Potter movies didn’t cast a well-known actor until Ralph Fiennes in The Goblet of Fire, but there’s long been talk that the TV show would be taking a different approach, with one actor in particular continually linked to the role.

Pretty much since the beginning, there’s been chatter that Cillian Murphy could be the person targeted to play the Dark Lord. Some of this is simple fancasting, which is rather understandable, given he’d be a perfect choice. But there have been bigger rumors too, and, of course, Fiennes himself recently seemed to suggest Murphy would be playing Voldemort. Now the Irish actor has addressed the talk once and for all in an interview with The Times, with Murphy saying:

“I’m categorically not. Can you make that the headline?”

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Again, Murphy would’ve been a brilliant choice, but it also makes sense he’s not taking on the role. He’s coming off the back of winning Best Actor at the Oscars in a movie that made almost $1 billion, and while he has starred in a long-running TV show before now, he’s probably a level above where the Potter remake has been casting in terms of status.

That said, it is possible that Murphy hasn’t been cast because the show simply isn’t casting Voldemort yet, and will follow the movies in not having a bigger actor until later on (Ian Hart provided the voice in The Philosopher’s Stone, with Richard Bremmer the physical appearance).

If that’s the case, then it might at least be a little more plausible for Murphy to take on the role, since it would be a few years away yet, and anything could happen or change in that time that leads him to doing it. The same is true for another long-rumored actor, Matt Smith: it may not make sense for him to do it right now with his commitments to House of the Dragon, but as an actor with a good relationship with HBO, a strong villainous track record, and whose schedule will free-up (HOTD is confirmed to end with its fourth season in 2028), it could become more realistic later on.

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Some other names worth looking at, for me, would be the likes of Damian Lewis, Paul Bettany, Mark Strong, and Matthew Macfadyen (who voices him in Audible’s full-cast editions), all of whom would be capable of being the kind of powerful, chilling, and sinister presence that Voldemort ought to be. Other actors regularly fancast include Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston, both of whom would undoubtedly be good, but neither of whom is easy to see happening given their schedules.

Whether HBO casts someone this early really depends on how they’re approaching the story. If it follows the book and movie, then there’s not really much of a need. But set photos have suggested we’re going to be seeing the night Lord Voldemort killed James and Lily Potter, and while it can still do that with him as a shadowy figure, it could be where he’s unveiled and we see the actor.

The problem there, though, is that you’re casting someone in Season 1, who then has nothing to do (barring major changes) until Season 4, so it does seem rather difficult to imagine it right now. Overall, the remake has impressed with its casting choices so far, so you’d trust them to get this one right, whenever it might happen.

The Harry Potter remake is expected to debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2027.

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