'It Almost Destroyed Me': Game of Thrones Teen Star Issues Warning to New Harry Potter Actors Over Fame and Social Media
- Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner warns new Harry Potter actors about the impact of social media on mental health.
Sophie Turner, who began playing Sansa Stark on HBO's Game of Thrones aged just 13, has offered some words of warning for the network's young actors set to star in the upcoming Harry Potter TV series .
Reflecting on her own experience growing up in the spotlight, Turner suggested that today's child actors likely now have it worse, as social media is even more dominant than when she began acting.
It was only years later that the impact of social media grew to the point where it had a "profound" impact on her mental health, Turner said — something the children cast in the Harry Potter series will have to contend with from the off, and over the coming decade of the series' production.
"Social media was just really becoming a big thing after I started on Game of Thrones, so I got a couple of years of peace and quiet and then I had to adjust," Turner told Flaunt . "It had such a profound impact on my mental health, like more than I could tell you. It almost destroyed me on numerous occasions.
"I look at the kids who are about to be in the new Harry Potter and I just want to give them a hug," she continued, before sharing the advice she'd give them.
"I'd say, 'Look, it's going to be okay but don't go anywhere near [social media]. Stay friends with your home friends, keep living at home with your family, make sure your parents are your chaperones,'" Turner advised. "It's so important to have that grounding adjacent to the big, crazy stuff that you do."
We've reached a big milestone on the HBO Harry Potter TV series as the first six cast members have been revealed. While we still have to wait to find out who will play the likes of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lord Voldemort, we now know who will be taking on the roles of Albus Dumbledore, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, and more.
Read on to find out who has been officially confirmed for this new take on Harry Potter as well as who has yet to be cast.
John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore
Six-time Emmy and two-time Tony Award-winning actor John Lithgow has been cast as Albus Dumbledore, the beloved headmaster of Hogwarts. Dumbledore is considered one of the most powerful wizards of all time and was a key mentor in Harry Potter's life. He also has a fascinating past that involves a tragic relationship with Gellert Grindelwald, who went on to become one of the most powerful dark wizards in this universe.
As for Lithgow, he's known for starring in 3rd Rock From the Sun, Dexter, The Crown, Shrek, The World According to Garp, Perry Mason, The Old Man, Footloose, Terms of Endearment, Interstellar, and so much more.
Who played Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter films? Richard Harris in Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets and Michael Gambon in the rest of the original series; Toby Regbo and Jude Law have also played younger incarnations of the character.
Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall
Tony Award and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Janet McTeer is set to take on the role of Professor Minerva McGonagall. McGonagall is another beloved member of Hogwarts and the head of Gryffindor and the deputy headmistress under Albus Dumbledore. She is one of the first characters we meet in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as she joined Dumbledore in delivering Harry Potter to the Dursleys.
McTeer previously starred in Me Before You, The Menu, Albert Nobbs, Tumbleweeds, The Old Man, Ozark, Sorry for Your Loss, and more.
Who played Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter films? Dame Maggie Smith in the original films and Fiona Glascott in the Fantastic Beasts series.
Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape
Emmy-nominated actor Paapa Essiedu will step into the shoes of Severus Snape, the professor of Potions at Hogwarts and head of Slytherin who is one of the most important characters in the whole series. He has a long history with Harry Potter and his parents, James and Lily, and proves to be a difficult person to be around for the young wizard.
Essiedu has previously been seen in I May Destroy You, The Outrun, Black Mirror, Men, The Lazarus Project, Gangs of London, and more.
Who played Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films? Alan Rickman, with Alec Hopkins appearing as the teenage Snape and Benedict Clarke as the child version.
Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid
Nick Frost will take on the role of Rubeus Hagrid, the beloved half-giant who is the gamekeeper and groundskeeper at Hogwarts. He is responsible for saving Harry Potter from the Dursleys and starting him on his Hogwarts journey. Afterwards, he would become one of Harry's closest friends.
Frost has a long history of comedic roles, including Shaun of the Dead, Skeleton Crew, The World's End, Hot Fuzz, Attack the Block, and more.
Who played Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter films? Robbie Coltrane, with Martin Bayfield playing the young Hagrid.
Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell
Luke Thallon is the new Quirinus Quirrell in this new Harry Potter series. Quirrell is the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in Harry's first year at Hogwarts.
Thallon is a relative newcomer to the world of acting and has starred in The Favourite and Present Laughter.
Who played Quirinus Quirrell in the Harry Potter films? Ian Hart
Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch
BAFTA-winning actor Paul Whitehouse is confirmed to be playing Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts who is usually seen with his cat, Mrs. Norris.
Whitehouse is known for The Fast Show, Harry & Paul, The Death of Stalin, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Corpse Bride, Alice in Wonderland, and more.
Who played Argus Filch in the Harry Potter films? David Bradley
Major Characters Yet to Be Cast:
Harry Potter
Ron Weasley
Hermione Granger
Lord Voldemort
Draco Malfoy
Sirius Black
Remus Lupin
Dolores Umbridge
Alastor Moody
Ginny Weasley
Luna Lovegood
Fred Weasley
George Weasley
Arthur Weasley
Molly Weasley
James Potter
Lily Potter
Bellatrix Lestrange
Neville Longbottom
Cedric Diggory
Dudley Dursley
Petunia Dursley
Vernon Dursley
Lucius Malfoy
Cho Chang
Seamus Finnigan
Dean Thomas
Gilderoy Lockhart
Dobby
Nearly Headless Nick
Moaning Myrtle
Sybill Trelawney
Filius Flitwick
And many more...
More than 32,000 children auditioned for the roles of Harry, Ron and Hermione, before young actors Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton ultimately won the coveted parts . The trio are now set to play the series' stars for at least seven seasons, each of which will adapt one of the Harry Potter novels.
The mammoth production is now underway, and based at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, near London, where a temporary school has been constructed designed for up to 600 pupils . Cast members attend classes alongside their filming duties, with around 150 children expected to attend daily lessons, and space for up to quadruple this amount at peak periods.
The need to juggle filming with school time was also a consideration for the stars of the previous Harry Potter films — but the creation of a temporary school goes further, and speaks to the size of the TV show's production. Filming has now begun and will last for around a decade, by which time its young stars will be in their early 20s.
Image credit: Jack Taylor/Getty Images for SXSW London.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
