Harry Potter HBO TV Series Reveals First Look At Nick Frost's Hagrid (And It's Perfect)
It's only been a day after the star-in-the-making Dominic McLaughlin's first official reveal as Harry Potter in the upcoming HBO adaptation of the books, and a brand new image has magically appeared online featuring Nick Frost as the groundskeeper who whisked him Harry away from and back into the world of witches and wizards. The "How to Train Your Dragon" star has made his debut as Hagrid, and any Potter fan can confirm he's a sight of hairy perfection. Here's the photo, courtesy of HBO Max:
With that worn-down coat, knitted jumper, and great big bushy beard, Frost certainly looks the part as the beloved Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant wizard who walks the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and plays a massive part in the story of the Boy Who Lived. Making his first appearance in "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," Hagrid was the brave wizard who, upon orders from Albus Dumbledore (to be played in the show by John Lithgow), transported Harry to the Privet Drive, out of sight from Lord Voldemort's dark forces.
Working in what might be one of the most challenging jobs at Hogwarts, that doesn't stop Hagrid from being one of the softest and sweetest wizards (and former member of Gryffindor, don't you know?) who helps Harry on his adventures. It makes sense, then, that they've hired such an endearing actor like Frost to follow in the footsteps of a dearly adored member of the original "Harry Potter" cast.
Nick Frost is filling the very big shoes of Robbie Coltrane
So many actors will be stepping into the roles made famous by some incredible performers in the "Potter" movies, but Frost and a handful of others will be taking over performances of some folks that are sadly no longer with us. Revered Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane was known for incredible performances in the likes of police drama "Cracker" and a brief stint in the Pierce Brosnan James Bond era as Valentin Zukovsky before entering the world of "Harry Potter." The man who gave us the first live-action iteration of Hagrid broke hearts in the documentary "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts," which was his final on-screen appearance before his passing in 2022.
Following the announcement that Frost would take on the role of Hagrid, he expressed his awareness of the character's legacy, which was still deeply tied to the larger-than-life original actor behind the beard. "While I'm really aware of what went before me in terms of Robbie's amazing performance, I'm never going to try and be Robbie," Frost explained. "I'm going to try and do something, not 'different,' I think you have to be respectful to the subject matter, but within that, there's scope for minutia." Currently, there's no confirmed date for when the show will arrive on HBO Max, but we can only guess that Frost's Hagrid will bring a different kind of magic, especially when he says that extra special line and tells McLaughlin's schoolboy hero, "You're a wizard, Harry."