It is a busy time for Harry Potter fans as HBO has announced a host of castings for the upcoming spin-off TV show, including Nick Frost as Hagrid, Janet McTeer as McGonagall and Paul Whitehouse as Rubeus Hagrid. They also confirmed that Luke Thallon would be starring as Professor Quirinus Quirrell – but how much do you know about the star? Find out more here…
MORE: Harry Potter’s reboot casting news so far: Dumbledore, Hagrid, Quirrell and more
Luke is a 29-year-old actor who is predominantly known for his theatre work. While having some movie credits, including an uncredited role in The Favourite, the star is an award-winning star, and most recently starred as Hamlet in the RSC’s production. He also won the Clarence Derwent Award for his performance in Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt, and was a nominee for the Evening Standard Emerging Talent Award.
© Getty ImagesHe has also starred in radio shows including A Room with a View and The Age of Anxiety.
Speaking to Deadline about playing Hamlet, Luke spoke about having mental health problems in the past, and revealed why he remains away from social media as a result. He said: “It’s that I have a very rocky time with my mental health, and I feel very vulnerable getting the chance to potentially explore, as a young man, that fragility through this play.
© Dave Benett/Getty Images“I feel vulnerable and privileged and nervous. But yeah, fragility I suppose is a theme that I’m interested in all my work… And I’m just not someone who can do the Instagram or Twitter stuff because I find it exposing. I want to sort of hurry home and curl up on the sofa and watch some crappy TV. Yeah, I find it sort of grueling.”
He also spoke about his passion for becoming a screen actor, adding: “I would love to do something on screen. I really would. There’s no pretending that I turn lots of things down, but I’m just waiting for the reason to go to the screen to be as exciting and as fulfilling as the things I get to do on stage now.”
Who is Quirinus Quirrell?
Professor Quirrell is Harry, Ron and Hermione’s first Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher when they start Hogwarts in year one. Nervous and stammering, Hagrid speculates that he fell afoul of vampires and had a “nasty bit o’ trouble with a hag” and had never been the same since.
Quirrell just appear to be afraid of everything, and sports a large turban on his head. It is eventually revealed – and spoilers if you haven’t read or watched Harry Potter – that Quirrell actually ran into Voldemort during his travels, who attached himself to Quirrell in order to survive long enough to find a body of his own. Quirrell’s large turban was, in fact, concealing Voldemort’s deformed face at the back of his skull. Eek.
HBO’s announcement
In a joint statement, Francesca Gardiner, showrunner and executive producer and Mark Mylod, director of multiple episodes and executive producer announced: “We are happy to announce the casting of John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse to play Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, Quirrell and Filch. We’re delighted to have such extraordinary talent onboard, and we can’t wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life.”
© Mike Marsland/WireImageWhat to expect from the new Harry Potter show
According to HBO, the show is set to be a “faithful” adaptation of the smash hit book series by JK Rowling which will be “full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have adored for over 25 years”.
The show is set to “explore every corner of the wizarding world,” and will stream exclusively on HBO’s streaming channel, Max.
© Getty Images
