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Nick Frost knows he‘s got some gigantic boots to fill – or half gigantic at least – when he plays Hagrid in the upcoming Harry Potter TV show.
In April, the news broke that the comedy star, 53, was set to play the Hogwarts groundskeeper and Keeper of the Keys in the HBO show.
He’s joining a cast boasting more stars than a wizard’s robe, including John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonnagall, and Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape.
However, in a new interview, the star touched on the pressure of playing such a beloved character and made a promise to fans to put his own spin on the half-giant instead of replicating what Robbie Coltrane, who played Hagrid in the Harry Potter movies, did.
Nick told Collider: ‘You get cast because you’re going to bring something to that. While I’m really aware of what went before me in terms of Robbie [Coltrane]’s amazing performance, I’m never going to try and be Robbie.’
‘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,’ he continued.
‘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. He’s funny! I want it to be funny and cheeky and scared and protective and childlike. That’s what I’m planning on doing.’
The news that Nick was joining the Wizarding World, however, has not been without controversy.
When the Shaun of the Dead star shared a picture of himself posing with a copy of the Philosopher’s Stone, he found himself inundated with comments from disappointed fans who were annoyed he’d willingly associate himself with the controversial series.
The Harry Potter TV show and the franchise in general have been subject to backlash following JK Rowling’s comments about the trans community.
The author has been criticised for expressing views that have been deemed transphobic by some.
Several members of the Harry Potter movie cast have been critical of the 59-year-old author’s stance on trans people, including Daniel Radcliffe, Eddie Redmayne, David Tennant, and Emma Watson.
After Nick muted the post, a number of people took to social media to express their frustration with the star.
@WizardingNews wrote: ‘Actor Nick Frost is currently getting destroyed on his Instagram for willingly joining the cast of JK Rowling’s new Harry Potter TV show reboot & tacitly supporting her irredeemable bigotry. It’s so bad he disabled comments on a post holding up a Harry Potter book. Not great.’
@Steeeeeeevens also claimed: ‘Lmao Nick Frost turned off the comments on his Instagram post about doing the new Harry Potter show. Sorry, man, those are the lumps you gotta take when you decide to do the terf show.’
‘Honestly, I am shocked by him. I genuinely had more faith in him,’ X user Sam replied.
Who's in the Harry Potter TV show cast?
Despite the backlash, though, Nick made clear he’s keen to get to work on the show, explaining
‘I’m just so excited to get going,’ he explained. ‘I’ve gone in to do head sculpts and have your hand stand and stuff, and they say, “Oh, have a look at this.” And you’re like, “Wow. That’s the coolest thing.”
‘I love films. I’ve loved cinema my whole life, so to be part of that universe now and that they’re showing me, like, a dancing mushroom, it’s like, “That is so cool!”’
The Harry Potter reboot series is currently gearing up for production, with filming expected to begin this summer in the UK.
The Harry Potter TV show is set for release in 2026.
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