On the doors of primary schools across the UK, there is one topic of conversation that has even outlasted the 11+ exam – the extremely difficult exam for selective secondary schools that many children sit at the age of 10 – and that is the Harry Potter tests.
News that the new version of the hit HBO TV series has begun casting for the main trio – Ron, Hermione and, of course, the Boy Who Lived – has sparked a frenzy across the country. In local Facebook groups, parents are already weighing up their children’s chances of taking part. “My daughter has been put forward by the agency,” says one mother in Bedfordshire, while comments on a Manchester Evening News report on the auditions have been filled with people tagging each other and suggesting their children should apply.
Although the guidelines state that applicants must be UK residents aged between nine and 11 in April 2025, many are already planning to lie about their children’s ages if they fall short. In a Facebook group in Stockton-on-Tees, north-east England, a woman describes her young daughter as “the best Hermione” but laments that she will miss the age criteria by a week. Another advises: “Just lie and say she’s 9.” In a thread on UK parenting forum Mumsnet, one commenter tells others discussing doing the same: “I assume they’ll be very strict but I guess you have nothing to lose by submitting videos and being honest.”
I have to admit, I had the idea, too. Although my son will only be 8 next spring, which makes him very young, he is tall for his age and probably looks older. But I can’t imagine him standing still long enough for me to film his own movie, let alone take direction from an impatient second assistant director as the light fades on a multimillion-dollar shoot.
Which means that, fortunately for us, there’s no big deal about him not being nominated. And as I shake off my daydreams of becoming a multi-millionaire mom like Kris Jenner, I remind myself that He is But is it true? Because plucking your kids from the shadows to play Harry Potter in a global TV series may seem like a wish come true, but there’s no escaping the fact that pushing your kids onto the path to childhood stardom often leads them to a much darker place.
Anissa Jones in “Family Affair” (circa 1966) Courtesy of Everett
The Hollywood Hills are haunted by the shadows of child stars who have been ravaged by work, fame and the aftermath. For some, like Britney Spears, Amanda Bynes and Macaulay Culkin, there have been rumors of mental health struggles and drug abuse, accompanied by guardianship or arrests. Earlier this year, a documentary series called “Quiet on Set” depicted toxic working conditions on the set of Nickelodeon shows produced in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including one incident of sexual assault.
For others, the journey from the top of the call list to adulthood oblivion can take a more tragic turn. In 1976, former child actress Anissa Jones, who had a long-running role on the 1960s CBS sitcom “Family Affair,” died of an overdose at age 18, while Aaron Carter, who released his first album at age 9, was found dead in his bathtub two years ago. He was just 34. In between, before and after, there have been countless others whose short lives burned out before they were snuffed out too soon.
Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, who played the original trio in the Harry Potter films, released between 2001 and 2011, have been vocal about the toll fame and lack of privacy have taken on their lives. Watson has said that photographers began trying to take pictures of her up her skirt when she turned 18, while Radcliffe struggled with alcoholism. Grint, on the other hand, has revealed that working intense hours at such a young age took a physical toll on them, and he suffered from recurring bouts of tonsillitis during much of the shoot.
In fact, from the moment Harry, Hermione and Ron were revealed in August 2000, at ages 11, 10 and 11 respectively, their normal lives were over. And not just because they suddenly started earning more money than most families will ever see in a lifetime (Fortune estimates Radcliffe’s total earnings from the franchise at $95.6 million, while Watson is said to be worth $85 million and Grint $50 million as of 2024).
While other kids were dealing with the expected routine of school and homework every day, the Harry Potter trio were on set or attending movie premieres. And even when they were attending regular classes, their fame and fortune made it difficult for them to fit in. There’s an apocryphal story that circulated in London in the early 2000s, when Radcliffe attended the prestigious City of London School, that illustrates this point; during a football game, when he made a mistake on the pitch, a teammate turned and shouted, “This isn’t fucking Quidditch, Potter!” It was hard to tell where Harry began and Daniel ended.
Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson at the New York premiere of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” in 2011. (Stephen Lufkin/Getty Images)
A few years after hearing this story, I saw Watson on a bus between Oxford and London one Friday evening; I was returning home from college for the weekend and she was clearly on her way to a night out in the big city. Although she was at the height of her fame, she was still in her mid-teens, and as I watched her joke around with her friends on the bus—loudly, perhaps even drunk?—I remember thinking it was a good thing the bus had no photographers. Today, you wouldn’t even need photographers: in the age of camera phones, a video of the trip would have appeared on TMZ before the bus stopped on the motorway.
Ultimately, of course, Watson, Radcliffe and Grint made it to adulthood relatively unscathed, with successful (if not prolific) careers after “Harry Potter.” But what’s most impressive is that they seem to have become largely ordinary. Instead of a fancy Lamborghini, Grint’s first car was an ice cream truck. Watson is a United Nations ambassador. Radcliffe has a reputation in the industry as a model of politeness, even offering to bring water to the crew during filming. A few years ago, I was having breakfast at the Sunset Marquis while Radcliffe was engaged in what appeared to be a business meeting at the next table. He sat quietly, covered by an invisible hat, until his dinner companion arrived, at which point he stood, took off the hat, extended his hand, and introduced himself warmly, even though he was the most famous person in the room.
It may not sound impressive, but turning into a normal person after spending your formative years pampered and praised is probably the most amazing thing a young star can do. I've seen firsthand how quickly a child's perspective can be turned upside down after a moment in the spotlight.
In another life, I was working as a lawyer at Nickelodeon’s London headquarters when our office was taken over by a camera crew filming an internal promotional video. The idea was to have a bunch of child actors pretend to run the office, and so my office was taken over by a gorgeous three-year-old I’ll call Mia, who had only just started her modeling career a few months earlier. The Nickelodeon job was her first speaking gig and she was still getting the hang of it.
As the day wore on, Mia began to feel tired and kept making mistakes in her dialogue. She was asked to do the scene over and over again, but for fear of upsetting her, no one would tell her why. They would just say she was doing a great job. Between takes, crew members would brush her hair, adjust her costume, and give her snacks while she enjoyed the attention of all the adults. (What a change from preschool!) At one point, Mia looked around for her mother, who was in the green room, and a call immediately went out over the crew’s walkie-talkies: “We need mommy here now!”
My mom came up and stood beside me as we watched Mia shoot a few more takes. She was still stumbling over the last line. The director realized that the young actor had run out of energy and probably wouldn’t make it, so he finally shouted, “Cut.” Everyone applauded. Mia’s face lit up. She ran to her mom, who hugged her. As the exhausted three-year-old rested her head on her mother’s shoulder, I heard her say with relief, “That worked out well, didn’t it? Everyone applauded!”
Her mother, who was hugging her tightly, did not respond.
