HBO’s Harry Potter series has a new Harry, Ron, and Hermione, as well as other new actors stepping into the magical world we all love. However, Warwick Davis, who played three Harry Potter characters in the original movies, is returning to the Wizarding World for the TV adaptation as Professor Flitwick. As for what it was like to step back into the shoes of the cheerful Charms teacher, the actor explained why refilming those scenes was “weird.” However, there's also a new addition that fans will love.
If you recall, Warwick Davis was quite the transformative actor, getting to play Professor Flitwick, a Goblin Bank Teller, and Griphook in the Harry Potter movies. For the TV series, the Willow actor is the first of the original actors to return as he reprises the Hogwarts Charms professor. In his interview with Times Radio, Davis got real about what was “weird” about refilming his Professor Flitwick scenes, and I totally get it:
We’re obviously telling the same story so there are similar moments that we’re experiencing as actors on the set. But it’s weird being back in the same studios again, doing it all again, because Leavesden is where we shot the films.
Yes, the book-to-screen adaptation does directly connect to the OG movies by being shot at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. It would be like returning to a familiar environment all over again. I can imagine the nostalgia Davis must have felt, surrounded by Hogwarts students again, with “a wand at the ready.”
Even though Warwick Davis is filming a lot of similar scenes as he did in the movies, it doesn’t mean his new Harry Potter experience is the exact same. To that point, the Leprechaun actor explained one new addition coming to the upcoming series that fans, like myself, will love:
I’m working on it at the moment, but I can’t really tell you anything other than we’re retelling those wonderful stories but with more depth and detail than has been seen before. They’re very faithful adaptations of the book.
That’s what I love to hear! As much as I love the Harry Potter movies, it would have been nice for the films to try to capture the same character development and depth of backstory that the J.K. Rowling books did. However, they simply just didn't have the time to go into deep detail. Fortunately, the HBO series has been priding itself on being a “faithful” adaptation, with each season capturing each book.
Plus, I’d like to believe the underrated Harry Potter film character of Professor Flitwick will get his flowers in the TV series, as he did in the books. Hopefully, we'll get to learn about his Ravenclaw student background and the fact that he's a master duelist. It would be great to see the series give the sunny professor the recognition he deserves.
It may have been “weird” for the returning Harry Potter actor to come back as Professor Flitwick on the same location grounds as the OG films. However, at least his reprisal as the Hogwarts professor will give fans a new faithful adaptation that fans haven’t seen before on screen. And I’m all the more psyched for this!
You can revisit Warwick Davis portraying his three Harry Potter characters by streaming the original films with a Peacock subscription or a Max subscription. And get ready to see him come back to Hogwarts with the upcoming Max series, which should hit the streaming schedule in 2027.
