‘I was going mad’: New Harry Potter star Dominic McLaughlin on receiving sweet letter from Daniel Radcliffe

If there’s one thing Potterheads love more than a new adaptation announcement, it’s a bit of wholesome magic behind the scenes — and the upcoming Harry Potter series just delivered a moment straight out of a feel-good chapter. Ever since the show was announced, fans have been busy debating casting choices and wondering whether the reboot can live up to the legacy of the books and films. But in the middle of all that chatter, Daniel Radcliffe quietly pulled off a warm gesture: he wrote a letter to Dominic McLaughlin, the child actor stepping into the round glasses. And now, Dominic has finally shared how he reacted.

In a recent appearance on Saturday Mash Up, McLaughlin recalled the exact moment he realised the letter was from the Daniel Radcliffe. “It was insane. My dad tapped me on the train and just gave me this letter. I read it, and then I got to the bottom, and it said, ‘Dan R.’ I was going mad, but I had to keep cool. I was on the train.” He also revealed that filming is going “extremely well” and that he has already made “a lot of friends” on set.

Radcliffe, meanwhile, shared on Good Morning America that Dominic sent him a “very sweet thank you note” in return. He explained why he reached out in the first place: “I don’t want to be a spectre in the life of these children, but I just wanted to write to him to say, ‘I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did — I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time.’ I just see these pictures of him and the other kids, and I just want to hug them. They just seem so young. I just look at them and say, ‘Oh, it’s crazy I was doing that at that age.’ But it’s also incredibly sweet, and I hope they’re having a great time.”

McLaughlin isn’t the only young cast member receiving wisdom from the original trio. Rupert Grint wrote a similar letter to Alastair Stour, who plays Ron Weasley in the new series, and told the BBC he’s both sentimental and curious about the reboot. “I wrote him a letter before they started, passing the baton, as it were. It was really just wishing him all the best with it. I had so much fun stepping into this world, and I hope he has the same experience… It’s quite strange to have the cycle happening again. I’m really intrigued about what it’s going to be like.”

Dominic McLaughlin stars as ‘The Boy Who Lived’ alongside Alastair Stour as Ron and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger — a new generation taking on the roles that shaped millions of childhoods. The Harry Potter series is set to begin airing in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max.