Nick Frost had his own accio spell in hand.
The actor, 53, shared the intense way he manifested the role of Rubeus Hagrid for the upcoming HBO “Harry Potter” television series.
“Before I was cast as Hagrid, my partner suggested trying to manifest it. So last Christmas, I watched all the films back to back on the Sky Harry Potter channel, while writing out the word “Hagrid” 7,000 times,” Frost told The Guardian in an interview published on Thursday.
“I’ve seen all the films,” he explained. “We go through them all as a family during Christmas every year. We start on 20 December and finish a week and a half later.”
While chatting with Collider in June, the “Hot Fuzz” star detailed his plan for the character.
“I’m going to try and do something, not ‘different,’ I think you have to be respectful to the subject matter, but within that, there’s scope for minutia,” Frost elaborated. “I always read Hagrid as he’s like a lovely, lost, violent, funny, warm child. I think the beauty of being able to do a book a season means I get to explore that a lot more, and I can’t wait.”
However, not everyone was thrilled by the casting decision.
Chris Columbus, who directed the original “Harry Potter,” wasn’t exactly sold after seeing on set pictures of Frost as Hagrid.
“So, I’m seeing these photographs… and [Frost is] wearing the exact same costume that we designed for Hagrid. Part of me was like: What’s the point?” he stated while on “The Rest Is Entertainment” podcast in August.
“I thought the costumes and everything was going to be different, but it’s more of the same. It’s all going to be the same,” Columbus added. “It’s very flattering for me, because I’m like, that’s exactly the Hagrid costume that we designed. So, part of it is really exciting, so I’m excited to see what they’re going to do with it. Part of it is sort of deja vu all over again.”
And the director didn’t shy away from sharing his take with Frost himself.
“I said, ‘This is very surreal for me — you have to understand, Robbie Coltrane and I were so close.’ So it’s just weird, bizarre,” Columbus told The Standard about their conversation.
Hagrid was originally played by Coltrane, who died in 2022 at the age of 72.
Meanwhile, John Lithgow has also fully stepped into his role as Professor Albus Dumbledore.
In October, on set photos surfaced showing the actor, 80, sporting a long, white beard, and an oversized robe.
Lithgow stood on a beach and also wore a pair of glasses, which lay on the bridge of his nose – true to Dumbledore form.
Production originally started in July, with the cast shooting around England over the summer and fall.
Other on location images captured Frost and Dominic McLaughlin, who plays Harry Potter.
Lithgow’s casting was first announced last February, with the star confirming the news in an interview with ScreenRant at the time.
“It came as a total surprise to me,” he confessed. “I just got the phone call up at the Sundance Film Festival for yet another film, and it was not an easy decision because it’s going to define me for the last chapter of my life, I’m afraid.”
“I’m very excited. Some wonderful people are turning their attention back to ‘Harry Potter,’” continued Lithgow. “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 series is set to premiere in 2026 with each season being adapted from one of J.K. Rowling’s seven “Harry Potter” books. If the show does one season per year for each novel, Lithgow would wrap the show at age 87 in 2033.
In the first two “Harry Potter” films, the original professor was portrayed by Richard Harris. Michael Gambon then took over the role after Harris died in 2002.
Jude Law also played the younger version of Dumbledore in two “Fantastic Beasts” prequels.
The main trio in the original movies included Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley.
Along with Lithgow, Frost and McLaughlin, the highly-anticipated series has also cast Arabella Stanton in the role of Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
