Harry
Potter is all grown up!
The
first cast photos from the upcoming stage play “Harry Potter and the
Cursed Child” were released on Tuesday, revealing actor Jamie Parker in
full costume as an adult Harry, now a married father of three.
Taking
place 19 years after the final Harry Potter novel, “Cursed Child”
follows Albus Severus (Sam Clemmett), the youngest child of Harry and his wife,
Ginny (Poppy Miller), as he readies to follow in Harry’s footsteps at Hogwarts.
Harry Potter mastermind J.K. Rowling told Pottermore that
she’s pleased with Jamie’s transformation and takes comfort in knowing the role
is in good hands.
“He simply is Harry now,” she said of the actor.
“There’s a kind of relief in watching him, he gets it so right.”
PHOTOS: ‘Harry Potter’ Stars: Then & Now
The images show Jamie in signature Potterverse garb, sporting
Harry’s round spectacles and famed forehead scar. The Brit said that getting
into character was an exciting privilege he values as both a performer and a
fan.
“They’re just iconic. These are stories that people have
lived with for their whole lives, they’ve grown up with and now they’re adults
re-joining the tale, picking it up where they left off and I’m one of
them,” he told Pottermore. “In a sense you don’t need more than
the scar and the glasses, you kind of go, ‘there it is’ and I don’t really know
how to put it into words, it’s just immeasurably exciting and I can’t wait to
show it to people.”
Jamie’s wardrobe isn’t the only thing giving Harry Potter
fans a hit of nostalgia. Sam is also pictured in a Hogwarts cloak, an apparent
hand-me-down from his character’s older brother, James Sirius – an idea which
Pottermore reported came from Sam himself.
“Harry
Potter and the Cursed Child” premieres on July 30 at London’s Palace
Theater, and previews kick off June 7.
— Erin Biglow
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