OG Harry Potter Movie Star Offers Hilarious Advice To HBO’s New Voldemort Actor

June 21, 2025

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With the Harry Potter TV reboot continuing development, an original movie star has some funny words of advice for the new Voldemort. Just a decade after the original movies ended, Warner Bros. Discovery and controversial author J.K. Rowling are looking to reignite interest in the franchise after the failure of the Fantastic Beasts movies. Casting has already begun for the reboot, as Dominic McLaughlin (Harry), Alastair Stout (Ron), Arabella Stanton (Hermione), John Lithgow (Dumbledore), and Paapa Essiedu (Snape) have all joined the growing roster.

With fairly regular announcements about pre-production, one original Harry Potter star is interested in offering some support for the new Voldemort actor, who has not yet been announced. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, former Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes explained some of the most difficult parts of the role. While his advice is wholly intended to be used as a joke, it does offer some insight into the absurdity of the filming process. Check out his full quote below:

Make sure you can handle the long flowing robes and don’t trip over them. Practice your long flowing robe walk, Also, I wore tights. Initially, they were one piece with a gusset, which kept getting lower and lower during the shooting day and became uncomfortable. So then I said I wanted individual tights like a garter belt. I enjoyed teasing the stunt guys by lifting up my robes and showing them my garter belt.

What This Means For The Next Voldemort

The Advice Is Not Fully Legitimate

While other Harry Potter stars have offered words of advice for the next generation of actors, Fiennes did not intend to actually support the next star. The supposed encouragement is merely a pretense to tell stories about some of the benefits and disadvantages of this role. The costume is naturally the greatest issue, given that the make-up, robes, and tights are understandably challenging for any actor who is attempting to portray an intimidating character. Still, for all that an actor can learn from Fiennes’ amusing comments, they were not intended to be followed.

Fiennes is a three-time Oscar nominee, having earned recognition for his work in Schindler’s List (1993), The English Patient (1996), and Conclave (2024).

The new Voldemort could still look to Fiennes’ words for support, of course. The long-flowing robes issue is actually a cause for concern, given that the new actor will be forced to wear a similar costume. It is fairly early in the casting process, as well as the show’s run, and Fiennes did not appear as Voldemort until Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), which was both the fourth movie and the fourth book. It will be years before the next Voldemort will have to wear his stifling costume, if the show releases one season per book.

Our Take On Fiennes’ Voldemort Advice

The Next Voldemort Should Be Fine

The next Voldemort is unlikely to face many issues when they are officially cast. After all, some actors will need far more support than a star who will be playing a fairly traditional epitome-of-evil character. The new Harry Potter Golden Trio will need to wrestle with the expectations of filling beloved roles, while carrying a $7 billion franchise on their backs, while all being under 13 years old. These child actors likely need far more support than the proven talent that HBO can recruit to play Voldemort. Fiennes’ Harry Potter advice was never intended to actually support the new star.