15 Years After the Harry Potter Films Ended, Where Are The Cast Now?

With HBO’s planned seven-season (and supposedly decade-long) Harry Potter TV show scheduled to arrive on our screens sometime around the beginning of next year, fans of the Wizarding World will, for pretty much the first time, have to process the idea of seeing different actors play their most beloved characters. 

This will not be easy: one of the most incredible feats of the Harry Potter films was managing to scoop up and perfectly cast so many of the best British and Irish actors of their time. But while we’re here, and seeing as the last of those movies, Deathly Hallows: Part 2, will turn 15-years-old this summer—meaning the younger cast members are now inching towards middle age—it feels like a good time to check back in. 

I’ve decided to focus some of this list on the core characters, as well as lesser-known cast members; otherwise, we would be here all day. I’ve also left out the bona fide legends—like Alan Rickman (Snape), Maggie Smith (McGonagall), Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Richard Harris (also Dumbledore), John Hurt (Ollivander) and Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid)—who have passed away in recent years. Read on to discover more about the rest and use the guide below to find their more recent movies on services like Apple TV, Netflix, Prime Video and elsewhere.  

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)

It’s strange to think now, but there wasn’t a huge amount of love for Daniel Radcliffe as the films were being released. Granted, he hasn’t got the charisma of even his younger co-stars, but his awkward charms now feel as much an indelible part of that series as Hogwarts or Quidditch.

Since finishing up, Radcliffe has tried his hand at a few different career paths: firstly, famously, showing his dedication to the craft by going nude on the West End in Equus; next came the indie years in movies like Horns and Kill Your Darlings; but he’s more recently found a pleasingly absurdist groove, playing a farting corpse opposite Paul Dano in Swiss Army Man and embodying Weird Al Yankovic for the fictional biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Good for him.

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)

If you had to bet on which of the younger cast members would go on to top the A-list, the smart money would have been on Emma Watson. After eight movies as Hermione Granger, however, the Paris-born actor has mostly avoided the Hollywood spotlight in the years since, focusing more on her work as an advocate for gender equality.

Indeed, when it comes to movies, Watson’s post-Potter career has been as interesting as it has been selective. She took on early supporting roles in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring and Darren Aronofsky's Noah, but since starring as Belle in the 2017 live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, she’s only appeared in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. If she has indeed retired, there are worse films to finish on.

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)

Given how quickly Rupert Grint became a fan-favorite in the Harry Potter franchise, it’s surprising that he never quite found his niche in the industry in the years that followed. Naturally, Grint started to appear in British indie comedies quite early, notably 2006’s Driving Lessons, but after a string of middling movies he seems to have taken a step back from cinema.

His only credit in the last 10 years was a smallish role in M Night Shyamalan's Knock at the Cabin. The actor has been far more active on television, notably appearing in every episode of Shyamalan's Servant—for which he’s even picked up a few Critics’ Choice awards.

Ralph Fiennes (Lord Voldemort)

After taking the best part of four movies to appear fully formed, a huge amount was riding on Ralph Fiennes’ performance as Voldemort in The Goblet of Fire, and the actor did not disappoint—bringing a sinuous theatricality to the role that made the Dark Lord endlessly watchable while taking away none of his inherent malevolence.

Fiennes was already a well-established actor of screen and stage by that point, having been nominated for Oscars for both The English Patient and Schindler’s List, and he’s only gone from strength to strength in the years since then. My favourite Fiennes work post-Potter is probably the charm and edge he brought to Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, but don’t sleep on his work in Conclave, which brought a third Oscar nomination last year.

Gary Oldman (Sirius Black)

Given how good Gary Oldman is at playing scumbags, it’s remarkable how well he slotted into playing Sirius Black—a man with an edge, no doubt, but a charming rogue at the best of times. Like Fiennes, Oldman was well-established in the industry by that point, having come up through British films by the likes of Mike Leigh and Stephen Frears before becoming one of the most reliable villains in Hollywood—think Léon: The Professional, The Fifth Element and Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Post-Potter, Oldman toyed with respectability—even winning an Oscar for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour—before rediscovering the joys of playing nasty characters. His performance as Jackson Lamb in four seasons and counting of Slow Horses is already iconic.

Brendan Gleeson (Mad Eye Moody)

Despite having a few substantial credits under his belt (Gangs of New York, A.I. Artificial Intelligence) before landing the role of Mad Eye Moody in Goblet of Fire, Brendan Gleeson’s performances in the Wizarding World movies fast-tracked the actor to national treasure status in Ireland and elevated his career to leading man status.

He’s thankfully continued to mix it up over the years, notably with a beloved performance in Paddington 2, but his work with John Michael McDonagh (The Guard, Calvary) and his brother Martin (In Bruges, his Oscar-nominated turn in The Banshees of Inisherin) are the ones he’ll be remembered for.

Fiona Shaw (Petunia Dursley)

Fiona Shaw only appeared in five Harry Potter movies as Petunia Dursley, but she left her mark on the series, even getting a moving and wonderfully acted final moment with Harry in Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

Like Gleeson, Shaw has long since achieved national treasure status in Ireland, but she’s also continued to pick up interesting roles in both the UK (Killing Eve, Hot Milk) and across the pond (Andor, True Detective: Night Country).

Robert Pattinson (Cedric Diggory)

Spoiler alert: as Cedric Diggory, Robert Pattinson sadly didn’t get to stick around very long in the Harry Potter universe, but he left a mighty impression on everyone watching and has probably had the best career out of any of the younger actors in the years since.

Post-Potter, the early years were of course dominated by the Twilight movies, but Pattinson has since leveraged his star power to work with some of the most challenging and revered filmmakers of our time—including David Cronenberg (Cosmopolis), Claire Denis (High Life), Bong Joon-ho (Mickey 17) and Lynne Ramsay (Die My Love). Mad respect.

Harry Melling (Dudley Dursley)

Given the popularity of the movies, it’s interesting to see which of the young actors went on to have substantial careers in the industry. When Deathly Hallows finished, you would have been forgiven for singling out Matthew Lewis (who heroically played Neville Longbottom) and Bonnie Wright (always a calming presence as Ginnie Weasley), but neither has pulled up many trees since then.

The same cannot be said for Harry Melling, who went from playing Dudley Dursley to becoming a regular fixture on the theatre scene. From there, he landed roles in the Coen Brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and The Queen’s Gambit, but his latest movie, the queer biker romance Pillion, might be the one that takes his career to another level. We shall see.

Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)

We’ll end our list with an actor who has recently returned to the stage to reprise his role from the Harry Potter universe. Last November, Tom Felton made his Broadway debut as Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child—delighting the legions of fans who have, since the series ended, embraced Draco (and Felton’s performance) as one of the most beloved parts of the entire franchise.

In the years since Deathly Hallows, Felton has continued to work regularly in movies and TV shows with roles in The Flash and Rise of the Planet of the Apes—in which, of course, he played a villain.