Ralph Fiennes has offered some pearls of wisdom to the actor taking on the role of Lord Voldemort in the new Harry Potter TV show.
The actor, 62, portrayed boy wizard Harry Potter’s arch nemesis in five of the eight films based on the original books by JK Rowling, so he knows what he’s talking about.
“Make sure you can handle the long flowing robes and don’t trip over them,” he began.“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,” he added with a laugh while speaking to E News.
The TV adaptation was confirmed by HBO Max in 2023 and aims to be a faithful retelling of the book series, with Rowling serving as an executive producer.
The latest version is expected to run for a decade, with each season based on one of the seven Rowling books.
While the actor set to wear Voldemort’s long robes has yet to be confirmed, Oscar winner Cillian Murphy is reportedly a strong contender and is even said to have received Fiennes’s personal endorsement.
Last month, HBO confirmed that following an open casting call that attracted more than 30000 applicants, child stars Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout have been cast in the key roles of Harry, Hermione and Ron.
The characters were originally played by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint in the film franchise.
Meanwhile, Oscar nominee John Lithgow will take on the role of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, with Golden Globe winner Janet McTeer stepping into the role of Minerva McGonagall, originally portrayed by Dame Maggie Smith.
Elsewhere in the lineup, Gangs of London, The Lazarus Project and The Capture star Paapa Essiedu will play Severus Snape, a role famously played by the late Alan Rickman in the movie series.
Additionally, Luke Thallon will play Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Quirinus Quirrell, while Paul Whitehouse has been cast as caretaker Argus Filch.
