“Harry Potter” actor Bonnie Wright, who played the role of Ginny Weasley in the eight-film Warner Bros. franchise from ages 9 to 19, is ready to pass the Sorting Hat to a new cast for HBO’s upcoming adaptation of the J.K. Rowling novels. But first, she has a few thoughts on storylines she hopes the TV series includes that didn’t make it into the original films, including key moments between Ginny and love interest Harry, originally played by Daniel Radcliffe.
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“So many things. More of the development of the relationship between Ginny and Harry,” Wright told Variety during Sunday’s Back to Hogwarts event at New York’s Grand Central Terminal, where she led fans in the symbolic countdown on Sept. 1, the date when Hogwarts students board the train to wizarding school each year in the “Harry Potter” series. “There’s nuanced moments of where they begin to fall in love. I think more of that arc of her character becoming this real loyal sidekick to Harry and how she really understands and knows his story and who he is and is the best partner for him. So I just hope we see that evolution of that character — and so many characters. If only we could have had five-hour movies. There are so many characters that have moments I love from the books — Neville and Luna — so I’m hoping as a fan of the books that I get to see more.”
While Wright has no specific advice to offer the new cast members — whom HBO is currently searching for — as she wants them to feel free to explore the roles in their own way, she does foresee a “bit more pressure” for the young actors taking on Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny and more iconic characters.
“When we were making them, we didn’t know where ‘Harry Potter’ was going. And at the time, there wasn’t social media, and there wasn’t as much access to public opinion, so it was kind of a little bubble within itself,” Wright said. “But I also think it’s such a fun opportunity for these people, whether how they’re cast or how they perform their roles, to just have fun with it and have their interpretation of it. I don’t think I would have any advice, to be honest, because I think it’s so important for them to be in their world and their interpretation of it. And I feel that’s so important, from an actor’s perspective, director’s perspective, to really make it their own. So I’m really looking forward just to being this time on the other side and be the one watching every week on television, and be the audience. And I really hope that the interpretations feel different and alive and new and fresh.”
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Wright also shot down the idea of appearing in HBO’s “Harry Potter” series, which is slated to premiere in 2026, in a different role or cameo appearance, noting that she likes “that it’s going to be all new people,” and “it might be a bit confusing” if the original cast appears in a different capacity. “It might be weird. So no, I’m happily just going to be watching,” she said.
Instead, Wright has joined Food Network’s upcoming “Harry Potter”-themed baking competition, “Wizards of Baking,” as a guest judge alongside the show’s hosts James and Oliver Phelps, who played Ginny’s twin brothers, Fred and George Weasley, in the movies.
“I always love going back, so many memories bled through and come back,” Wright said of filming for the Food Network competition on some of the original “Harry Potter” sets that are now used as tour locations. “It was also fun doing something in a totally different context. Filming a baking show, I never would have imagined that, so it was a fun surprise. And I loved the creativity that the showrunners had to dream up the show. It’s such a cool idea. And being back with James and Oliver, obviously my on-set brothers, they just do such a fabulous job of presenting the show and making it just so fun and taking us back to all the memories and stories. So I enjoy not only being there to judge and meet these contestants, but also an opportunity to share more stories with this time on set. And I think people probably miss all these sets dearly.”
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