Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The second installment in the Harry Potter series brings our heroes into their second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While I personally feel that this particular installment is the weakest one in the series – in both the books and the movies – I definitely feel that with my production/crew choices from my first post, this season could be a really strong one. The story is intense, the stakes are higher, and I feel confident that Taika Waititi (my choice of director) would be able to truly encapsulate those aspects of the story – while also remaining faithful to the tone of the previous season.
So with all of that being said, let’s cast HBO’s Harry Potter: Season Two!
Dobby: Dee Bradley Baker
Dobby is the first new character we will see onscreen in the new season. This casting choice was tough, due to the fact that he is a character who is entirely created from CGI. I had to consult my sister who is well versed in the world of voice actors, and she brought up Dee Bradley Baker and his ridiculous talent for creature/character voices.
As you can see from the image of Dee Bradley Baker above, he is surrounded by smaller pictures of the characters he has lent his voice to in the past. I believe that with his skill in being creative with animated / CGI characters, he could bring something totally new and original to Dobby — and he could even bring us to fall in love with the endearing house elf all over again.
Molly Weasley: Catherine Tate
Listen, I know there’s absolutely no way we can replace Julie Walters’ sweet, motherly and adorable portrayal of the matriarch of the Weasley clan.. but we will have to try! I think that Catherine Tate would be an excellent follow up to Walters’ performance throughout the original film series.
Catherine Tate is one of the funniest British comedians of the era, having guest starred on the American version (aka, the best version) of The Office, touring the world doing stand-up, and even starring in her own comedy show on BBC. I think that the one thing that was missing from Julie Walters’ original portrayal of Molly Weasley is the lighter/more comedic side of the character. I think that bringing on such a talented comedian to play Harry’s “surrogate mother” would bring a fresh, new perspective on the character we all know and love.
Another thing that Tate is excellent at is dramatic acting. I have always known her to be a comedic actress who makes me laugh every time I see her onscreen however, I have also seen her be able to carry quite dramatic roles. As an actress, Tate is fantastic – therefore, I feel that she has a HUGE skill set and fresh ideas to bring to Molly Weasley.
Arthur Weasley: Sam Rockwell
Sam Rockwell is one of those actors who makes my heart hurt every time I see him on the screen. With his impressive resume of awards and his astounding filmography, Rockwell is a phenomenal actor. So out of a long list of actors I could have chosen for the role of the patriarch of the Weasley clan, Arthur Weasley, why is it that I chose Rockwell? The reason is actually quite simple.
In several of his films, Rockwell plays a truly kind-hearted and fatherly figure to whomever the main character in each film is. He has a warmth about him that really envelops each of his characters, which brings a feeling of safety and security to the viewers as they share the perspective of the main character. For example, check out some of his work in films such as The Way, Way Back (2013) and Jojo Rabbit (2019).
Just like his wife Molly, Arthur Weasley is meant to serve as a “surrogate father” to Harry therefore, having an actor with such a warm and fatherly disposition is essential to the story. Sam Rockwell will be able to remain faithful to the original portrayal of Arthur Weasley by Mark Williams, however I believe that he will be able to leave a deeper emotional imprint on viewers – as that is probably his best skill as an actor.
Lucius Malfoy: Ben Mendelsohn
Lucius Malfoy is one of the “scary” adult characters in the series. As the father of Harry’s school bully, Draco Malfoy, Lucius is a cruel dark wizard who works directly under the main villain of the series, Voldemort. As one of Voldemort’s closest allies, Lucius Malfoy is a dangerous character due to his proximity to Harry, and Lucius as a character notoriously revels in the chance to intimidate and antagonize the boy every chance he has. Lucius makes his slimy, intimidating first appearance in this installment in the series.
Ben Mendelsohn is an Australian actor who is best known for his work on Bloodline (2015), Rogue One (2016), and Ready Player One (2018). In nearly all of his roles, Mendelsohn steals the show with his ability to induce fear and intimidation with his eerily calm demeanor. I think that the ability to portray Lucius Malfoy in this way is extremely important for setting the tone for his character early in the series.
No offense to Jason Isaacs (who originally portrayed the character in the film series), but in the original series, Lucius Malfoy is a somewhat forgettable character and he is honestly sort of a joke. This is a real shame because the original character in the book series is incredibly interesting. I think that with an actor as talented as Ben Mendelsohn in the role, Lucius Malfoy will actually be the character that J.K. Rowling herself originally wrote.
Gilderoy Lockhart: Nikolaj Coster-Waldeau
Gilderoy Lockhart… What to say about Gilderoy Lockhart? He is definitely one of the most memorable characters, for no reason other than the fact that he is incredibly narcissistic and – for lack of a better word – SEVERELY annoying. Lockhart is Harry’s new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who fraudulently became famous for “his” amazing achievements in the wizarding world, and he will not let anybody forget it.
Nikolaj Coster-Waldeau is a Danish actor who is best known for his role as Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones (2011). The second I saw him when I started that show, I was reminded of Gilderoy Lockhart. In Game of Thrones, Coster-Waldeau’s character goes through a huge amount of character development, however it’s the portrayal of where his character STARTS in that development process that makes this actor perfect. To be frank, Jaime Lannister from the beginning of Game of Thrones is the worst person ever: a blonde, long-haired narcissist, who has sex with his sister and pushes a ten year old boy out of a high window and paralyzes him for life.
So, Nikolaj Coster-Waldeau is definitely well versed in this sort of role, because Jaime Lannister from Game of Thrones is exactly like Lockhart — minus the whole incest plotline and the “attempting to murder a child” thing.
Tom Riddle: Timothée Chalamet
The number of actors who are my age (23) and have skyrocketed to global fame and infamy is miniscule, so my list of young and talented actors who could play such a small yet pivotal role in the series was very short. However, Timothée Chalamet would make a perfect “young Voldemort.”
At the end of this season of HBO’s Harry Potter remake, Harry finds himself entrapped by the ghostly version of Voldemort in what is called the Chamber of Secrets. Though this would be a short cameo role, I believe that Chalamet would bring a really interesting perspective to this character.
Timothée Chalamet is probably the best actor around my age, as of 2020. I’ve seen just about all of his movies and I have been so impressed with his ability to be a chameleon and disappear into his roles. When you watch him onscreen, you forget that you are watching Timothée Chalamet, and you are fully enveloped in his character. The original portrayal of Tom Riddle in the film series is… quite theatric and a little cheesy, but imagine putting Chalamet in this role instead.
One role of his that really stood out to me and made me choose him to play this role, is his portrayal of King Henry V in Netflix’s The King (2019). This scene in particular eerily reminded me of the character of Tom Riddle. The way Chalamet emphasizes his words and the way his facial features move is chilling, and I think that if he were given the material to read for Tom Riddle, he would prove to be a truly scary villain for the end of the season.
Looking ahead: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
This concludes my casting for the second season of HBO’s Harry Potter television reboot. I hope you all enjoyed reading and find my list interesting! I would definitely like to know who all of you would want to see play these roles, so let me know down in the comments below!
In my next post, we will continue this series with casting the third installment (and my personal favorite) of this hypothetical television series: Season Three: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
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