Daniel Radcliffe has revealed that he personally wrote to Dominic McLaughlin, the young actor taking on the role of Harry Potter in HBO's upcoming television reboot of the beloved fantasy series. Radcliffe, who portrayed the Boy Who Lived across eight films from 2001 to 2011, said he wanted to offer encouragement as the new cast begins its decade-long journey.

Speaking on Good Morning America, Radcliffe said: "I wouldn't say that anyone who is going to play Harry has to reach out to me, but I know a few people working on the production. I wrote to Dominic and sent him a letter, and he sent me a very sweet note back."

The actor added that his intention was simply to reassure the young performer stepping into an iconic role. "I don't want to be a spectre in the life of these children, but I wanted to say, 'I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did.' I had a great time, but I hope they have an even better one."

Radcliffe also admitted feeling protective when seeing photographs of the new cast — McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron. "I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I want to hug them," he said. "They just seem so young. It's crazy I was doing that at that age."

HBO's "Harry Potter" reboot features a full ensemble of new child actors, including Lox Pratt (Draco Malfoy), Alessia Leoni (Parvati Patil), Leo Earley (Seamus Finnigan), Rory Wilmot (Neville Longbottom) and Amos Kitson (Dudley Dursley). The BBC reported earlier this year that Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden has constructed a temporary school on site to support the young actors' education throughout nearly a decade of production, with each season adapting one of J.K. Rowling's seven books.

The series is expected to debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2027.