Daniel Radcliffe revealed he wrote a letter to Dominic McLaughlin, the 11-year-old actor who will take over his role as Harry Potter on HBO’s upcoming series adaptation.”I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did. I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better one,” Radcliffe said he told the young actor.Joining McLaughlin on the Potter series are Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger) and Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley).

Daniel Radcliffe will always be Harry Potter, but he’s ready to pass the torch to the next generation.

The centerpiece of the generation-defining fantasy film series moved on from Potter over a decade ago. But the culture hasn’t. HBO greenlit the first series adaptation of the bestselling young adult novels by J.K. Rowling in 2023, and in May, the new project found its Harry: 11-year-old Dominic McLaughlin.

In a Tuesday appearance on Good Morning America, Radcliffe revealed that he reached out to his younger counterpart to offer some words of encouragement. “I know a few people that are working on the production. So I wrote to Dominic and I sent him a letter, and he sent me a very sweet note back.”

Daniel Radcliffe in 2025.

Rob Kim/Getty

Radcliffe explained to Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, and the rest of the GMA team that he felt it important to touch base with his successor, but stressed, “I do not want to be a specter in the lives of these children at all.”

In his letter, Radcliffe said he simply expressed, “I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did. I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better one.”

McLaughlin is the exact age Radcliffe was when he set off to shoot the first film in the $9 billion franchise. Now 36, Radcliffe reflected, “I just see those pictures of him and all the other kids and I just want to hug them. They just seem so young. I do look at them and I go, ‘Oh, it’s crazy that I was doing that at that age.’ But it’s also incredibly sweet, and I hope they’re having a great time.”

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Joining McLaughlin in the core cast of the Potter series are Arabella Stanton, who takes over for Emma Watson as the studious Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout, who fills Rupert Grint’s shoes as the humble Ron Weasley.

John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, and Nick Frost are among the recognizable stars filling out the adult cast as Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, and Rubeus Hagrid, respectively.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’.

Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. 

Radcliffe has expressed nothing but gratitude for his time as the boy with the lightning bolt scar in the years since 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. But neither does he seem interested in the prospect of returning to the Wizarding World.

When asked if he’d consider a cameo or even a supporting role on the TV series, he replied, “I don’t think so. I think they very wisely want to [have] a clean break. And I don’t know if it would work to have us do anything in it.”