‘Harry Potter’ Stars Talk Universal Epic Universe, New HBO Series

Three stars of the original Harry Potter films are open to being involved with the upcoming HBO series in different ways, they revealed while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at Universal Epic Universe’s grand opening celebration. 

Actors Warwick Davis — who played Professor Filius Flitwick in the films — and James and Oliver Phelps — who portrayed Fred and George Weasley, respectively — all participated in the opening of “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic” on Wednesday, celebrating the new theme park with other Hollywood names, NBCUniversal and Universal Destinations & Experiences executives. 

“It’s very special,” Davis said of the relationship between the parks and the films. “Normally a film is something you create and people watch it, it’ll be a success or not, and then it goes into the libraries and it’s kind of forgotten. But with attractions like we have at Epic Universe, it endures. It becomes something more than just a two-dimensional kind of entertainment. It becomes something more immersive, more interactive than you could ever hope for in the film sense.”

While the films were massively successful — earning over $7 billion combined at the box office and spawning two lands and a world across Universal Orlando Resort and one land in Universal Studios Hollywood — Davis notes that success is a sign that there’s room for more, not less. 

“The Harry Potter stories are enduring, as we’ve seen by the success of the books and the films, so there are stories that people want to hear and they can be told again in a different medium, different form,” he said. “Short form in a television series is a different way of telling a story. It allows you to expand on areas of the books that weren’t able to be expanded upon in the film time we had. We’ll see other perspectives, things we might not have seen before. So I think it’s a very interesting and new look at those stories, and I’m interested to take a look.”

As for whether he’d be a part of the series in some capacity if asked, Davis said he wouldn’t turn it down. “I was involved with the film for over 10 years, and subsequently the theme parks, so I feel very at home,” he said. “I would jump at the chance to go back to that magical place once again.”

For Oliver and James, they’re not dwelling too much on it, and instead want to give the series’ creative team — and actors who portray their former characters — more space, particularly with a franchise that has such a large fanbase and high expectations. “I haven’t really thought about it because it’s just something other guys are going to do and it’s only fair to whoever’s doing it to give them their own space to do it,” James shared. “But I’m here if [the TV iterations of Fred and George] ever wanted anything to chat about — not just the acting but the external sides of it, and living with the fanbase as well.”

“That’s something we were lucky enough to be able to come along with,” Oliver continued, speaking to how the duo has been able to continue tapping into the Harry Potter fandom years after their roles screen concluded. “But yeah, hopefully, these guys who go play Fred and George understand that they should enjoy it. Enjoy these characters because they are fun guys to play. And as James said, if everyone is chuffed and saying, ‘What’s this like? What’s that like?’ Yeah, we’d always be a help.”

As for the “Ministry of Magic” itself, both Phelps — who were also part of the original opening of Hogsmeade at “Islands of Adventure” park in 2010 — were nothing short of impressed. “To come to 1920s France and see the European twist on the Wizarding World as well is so cool up close —  how immersive it is, and the scale of it as well. I think that’s the thing to remember. It is big. It is so big,” Oliver told THR. 

The world’s attraction, “Battle at the Ministry,” also left the twins, as people who were on-set for over a decade filming the movies, a bit in awe of its cinematic quality. “I’ve got to be honest, it’s far easier than seeing a green ‘X.’ ‘Imagine there’s an elevator here,’” Oliver joked. “But to actually see it — it just goes to show the level of detail. The years they’ve been working on making this, the technology is awesome to see from a filmmaking point of view, how they can make it real. 

“Only the sphere in Vegas has more LEDs, which shows the detail that goes into it,” James noted. “I’ve done it a couple of times and you see more because you’re not looking straight ahead the second time around. The attention to detail is insane.”

“We can see so many thousands and thousands of people coming to see this,” Oliver added. “We’re just blessed to be able to be some of the first.”