Harry Potter child stars’ HBO salaries disclosed

The salaries for the three young stars set to lead the new Harry Potter TV series have been unveiled. Reports suggest that 12-year-old Dominic McLaughlin, who will take on the role of the boy wizard, will be compensated with £500,000 for his appearance in the first season of the upcoming HBO Max show. Alastair Stour, aged 12, and Arabella Stanton, aged 11, who will portray Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, respectively, are also expected to receive the same amount, as per The Sun.

According to a source, these newbies, who were chosen from a pool of 32,000 children, are on their way to becoming multi-millionaires even before they reach 18, thanks to their substantial salaries. Each season of the series will focus on one of JK Rowling’s seven best-selling novels. Notably, Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the original film series, earned £1m for his role in the first movie back in 2001. By the sixth film, his paycheck had increased to a staggering £15m, with his total earnings from the franchise estimated to be around £94m.

The debut trailer for the new series, adapting Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, has already set records for HBO following its release earlier this month. Garnering over 277 million organic views across different platforms within the first 48 hours online, this promotional video has become the most-watched trailer in the history of HBO and its streaming service, HBO Max. The two-minute trailer not only gave fans a sneak peek at the new actors taking on iconic characters but also introduced the star-studded cast, including John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, and Paapa Essiedu as Professor Snape.

As work is underway on season two, based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, HBO President Casey Bloys has assured fans that the team is working hard to reduce the gap between seasons. He mentioned, “Our goal is to not have a huge gap, you know, especially because the kids are growing. It’s not going to be an annual thing; the show is too massive. But they’re already in the process of writing season two.”

While the show has faced some criticism since its announcement in 2021, especially due to controversial comments made by author JK Rowling regarding the transgender community, some members of the cast have expressed their differences with her views. For instance, John Lithgow admitted considering leaving the project due to the backlash but asserted that he doesn’t align with Rowling’s stance on transgender rights. Similarly, Nick Frost stated, “She is allowed her opinion and I’m allowed mine – they just don’t align in any way, shape, or form.”