Cillian Murphy Breaks Silence on Playing Voldemort In Harry Potter Reboot

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During an appearance on the podcast Happy Sad Confused, Murphy was asked about the possibility of playing Voldemort and if he’s heard anything about being involved with the project. “No. I mean, genuinely. I mean, my kids show me it occasionally, but like, I don’t know anything about that,” Murphy said. “I mean, also, it’s just really hard to follow anything Ralph Fiennes does. The man is an absolute acting legend. So, good luck to whoever is going to fill those shoes.”

Cillian Murphy’s Harry Potter Comments Highlight a Big Problem for HBO’s Reboot

Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Murphy isn’t the only prominent actor to express reluctance about following the great Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. Last month, House of the Dragon star Matt Smith took himself out of the running, feeling it would be “very difficult” for anyone to come in and play the dark wizard after Fiennes. These comments from Smith and Murphy obviously have a great deal of respect for Fiennes, a renowned thespian who’s put together an incredible body of work over a storied career. But they also call attention to one of the biggest hurdles facing the Harry Potter reboot.

The original Harry Potter film adaptations, which released between 2001-2011, remain staples of pop culture. In addition to immersing viewers in the Wizarding World with stunning visuals and tremendous production design, the movies are as beloved as they are because of the cast. Each actor in the films proved to be an ideal fit for their role, and Fiennes delivered captivating and chilling performances as Voldemort. When one thinks of the villain, Fiennes’ interpretation is one of the first things that comes to mind, and he will surely cast a large shadow over whoever is cast.

One of the selling points of HBO’s Harry Potter is that the television medium will allow the creative team to get into greater detail, highlighting characters and plot threads that were removed from the movies. While that’s an exciting proposition, the TV series still has to contend with all of the similarities it will share with the films. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone director Chris Columbus criticized set photos and wondered what was the point of the reboot if it was all going to look the same as what was done before. If HBO’s Harry Potter is keeping the same look for Hagrid, Voldemort’s costume will probably be very reminiscent of what Fiennes wore.

Odds are, Murphy and Smith aren’t the only actors who feel this way about playing Voldemort. Not only is there a great deal of admiration for what Fiennes achieved in the films, some performers could balk at the notion of signing on for a long-term television project. Voldemort doesn’t fully appear until Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but he obviously plays a very key role across the back half of the saga, meaning this will be a sizable time commitment for whoever signs on. HBO may not be able to snag an in-demand, big-name talent for Voldemort, but perhaps there’s a relative unknown out there confident he’ll be able to put his own spin on things. Rumor has it Voldemort has actually already been cast and is being saved for a surprise in Season 1, so maybe it won’t be much longer until fans find out.

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