Sir Gary Oldman has said he would’ve been interested in playing Albus Dumbledore in the forthcoming TV adaptation of Harry Potter.
The newly knighted actor, 67, played Sirius Black in four of the original Harry Potter movies, first portraying the character in 2004’s The Prisoner of Azkaban.
Speaking to Variety, the Slow Horses star spoke fondly of his time working on the films: “It was interesting working with [director] Alfonso Cuarón. I think he did a spectacular job with number three, which is when I joined.
“Daniel Radcliffe would’ve been about 11 when I first met him. They were all delightful – super smart, super talented. But it was a nice, great time. I'm very proud to have been in it.”
When asked about the forthcoming HBO series, Oldman said that he did not think he was in consideration for the cast given that he had already appeared in the films.
Oldman said: “My personal feeling is they’re not going to go anywhere near people that were connected to the original. I’m actually very intrigued to see it because so much of the books were cut.”
“I would've fancied a go at Dumbledore,” he continued. “I’m getting up there now, it’s the right age for Dumbledore.”
The Hogwarts headmaster was first played by Robert Harris in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001). Following Harris’s death in 2002, Michael Gambon was cast in the role for the six remaining instalments. Jude Law portrays a younger version of the character in the Fantastic Beasts prequel films.
Oldman, who won Best Actor at the 2018 Oscars for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, previously expressed his desire to play the part in a 2024 interview with IndieWire, but noted at the time that “no one’s approached me”.
John Lithgow has been cast as Dumbledore in the HBO series. Speaking of playing the iconic part, Lithgow told the Smartless podcast: “It was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid.
“But I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to Harry Potter. That’s why it’s been such a hard decision. I’ll be about 87 years old at the wrap party, but I’ve said yes.”
The TV adaptation was confirmed by HBO Max in 2023 and aims to be a “faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer JK Rowling”. Each season of the book will reportedly be based on one of the seven Rowling books.
The cast also includes Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Hagrid, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
In May, HBO announced that after auditioning more than 30,000 actors for the three main characters, Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry, Arabella Stanton will portray Hermione, and Alastair Stout will be Ron.
The three newcomers’ characters were originated by Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, respectively.
