Harry Potter: Jared Harris turns down the role originally played by his father in the new HBO TV reboot

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Jared Harris has ruled himself out of the role his father Richard Harris first brought to life in a new Harry Potter television series.

The series, which has already caused controversy, will feature the same characters but with new actors. Castings for the three main roles – Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger – are now underway.

While Gary Oldman, who played Sirius Black in the film adaptations of JK Rowling's bestselling novels, has thrown his name into the ring to play Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, an actor who wants nothing to do with the project, mad Men And Foundation Actor Harris.

Dumbledore was played in the first two Harry Potter films – Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone And Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – by Irish Oscar winner Richard Harris. The role was recast after his death in October 2002.

Michael Gambon, who died in September 2023, played Dumbledore in the remaining films.

In a new interview with The Independent series Go to BatHarris was asked if he would be interested in playing Dumbledore in the HBO reboot, to which he replied, “No thanks.”

He added: “And I mean, why do you do that? I don't understand it. The films were fantastic – leave them alone.”

Harris acknowledged, however, that the film series missed out on “a lot of narrative potential” that could be explored in the television series.

In the interview, Harris recalled working on a 2016 documentary about his father’s life called The Ghost of Richard Harriswhich shows that the gladiator The actor “started writing his autobiography while he was ill in the hospital,” but then “one of the nurses threw away all his notes.”

Harris continued, “I don't know how far he got with it. We just wanted something that gives you an idea of ​​who he was and what he was like. You get close, but it's not the whole picture at all.”

Watch the full interview with Harris above.

The actor can currently be seen in a new film Reawakeningstarring Juliet Stevenson and Erin Doherty. Written and directed by Virginia Gilbert, the drama is about a married couple who are confronted with old tensions when their daughter reappears years after she disappeared as a teenager.

Reawakening is now in theaters.