Harry Potter star Tom Felton has said that he is “not worried” for the mental health of the young actor taking on the role of Draco Malfoy in the upcoming HBO series.
The British actor was just 12 years old when he was cast opposite Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson in Warner Bros’ wizarding movies, playing Harry’s school tormentor Malfoy.
While Felton, 38, has stayed loyal to the franchise and is currently reprising the role in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, he is handing the baton over to 14-year-old Lox Pratt in the highly anticipated TV reboot.
And though being thrust into the spotlight at such a young age was an overwhelming experience for the original Harry Potter cast, Felton has said that he isn’t concerned about the level of scrutiny the Lord of the Flies star will face.
open image in gallery“You just enjoy it for what it is,” he told BBC News, adding that he “saw a lot of myself” in the young actor.
“I’m not worried about that at all for him. He’s got a very good head on his shoulders and what you don’t know doesn’t hurt you. I’m sure he’s not one to scroll through negative comments.”
Describing Pratt as a “charming young man and fabulous actor”, Felton said that his mum had spoken to the child star’s own mother to share advice, while Felton had imparted his own wisdom too.
“I’m encouraging him to be as cheeky as possible – but professional first,” he said.
While Pratt already has on-screen experience, having played Jack Merridew in Jack Thorne’s Lord of the Flies adaptation earlier this year, Harry Potter marks a major step-up for the actor and his fellow young stars.
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Earlier this year, it was reported that the three lead actors – Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Alastair Stour as Ron and Arabella Stanton as Hermione – will each receive £500,000 for starring in the first season of the show.
In comparison, Radcliffe received £1 million for the first film, with the number rising to £15 million by film number six.
However, Radcliffe has spoken frankly in the past about the realities of “growing up in the spotlight”, saying in 2016 that the “hardest” part was not the drugs or the “strange, pandering world you enter into”.
“The difficulty is trying to work out who you are while constantly coming up against a perception of yourself that everybody else already has,” he said.
“I think it’s very important, especially when you become famous young, to work out who you are without fame and without that as part of your identity, because that will go. Fame does not last forever. For anyone.”
Harry Potter season one arrives on HBO Max on 25 December.