As HBO’s Harry Potter TV series remains in production, franchise creator J.K. Rowling continues to be a topic of discussion. Rowling has received backlash in recent years due to her views on transgender people. As a result, several of the actors involved with the show have been asked for their thoughts on the matter. One of the latest to share their thoughts on Rowling is Johnny Flynn, who’s playing the role of Lucius Malfoy. Flynn spoke candidly about why he believes the set has been a positive place to work amid the blowback.
Filming for the Wizarding World-set show began in Hertfordshire, England around July 2025 and principal photography has also taken place in other parts of the U.K. as well. Flynn recently caught up with THR and provided some insight into what it’s been like to be on the set of the massive production. During his chat with the trade, Flynn also acknowledged the “important” conversations related to Rowling. As for working on the set, the British discussed the tight bonds that have been forged amongst the cast and crew:
Obviously, there’s quite a lot of stuff around Jo [J.K.] Rowling. I suppose that’s been quite interesting to navigate, the conversations there — but all important conversations to have. The people working on this are really, really great and create a really special atmosphere, [like] Francesca [Gardiner] the showrunner, and Mark Mylod and various directors. There’s such care.
As for his actual role in the show, Flynn also spoke to Lucius’ presence at this point. The actor continued:
I’m basically not in the first book. Lucius is hardly in book one at all, but I’m in the first series. So it’s quite a thing to go do a day and then have a month or so [off] and come back and everybody’s got these really tight relationships. But it’s such a welcoming environment.
Based on the Emma alum’s description of the set’s “really special atmosphere,” there’s a firm level of camaraderie amongst him and his colleagues. It can be argued that such interpersonal relationships are important, especially when working on such a massive and time-consuming project like Potter. A major reason why Flynn also seems to really be relishing his time on set is due to the fact that his devious (and beloved) character is arriving on the scene earlier than expected.
Johnny Flynn’s casting as Lucius was announced shortly before filming began, though it wasn’t until a few months ago that he formally confirmed that he’d appear as the Malfoy patriarch in Season 1. Since Flynn’s casting, his predecessor, Jason Isaacs, has shared positive thoughts on his casting. A few years back, Isaacs also fielded questions about J.K. Rowling’s personal views. While the actor said he wouldn’t “stab her in the back,” he also stated that he and Rowling “differ” when it comes to their views on certain topics.
The past few months have seen others share their thoughts on Rowling’s statements as well. New Hagrid actor Nick Frost weighed in, saying “she’s allowed her opinion and I’m allowed mine, they just don’t align in any way, shape or form.” Frost also questioned whether the situation should be allowed to “blow over” and opined that “maybe we should educate ourselves.” Additional thoughts came from John Lithgow ahead of his turn in the role of Albus Dumbledore. Lithgow says it “upsets [him] when people are vehemently opposed to my having anything to do with” the show. He finds it “ironic and somewhat inexplicable that Rowling has expressed such views,” given the inclusive nature of the Potter books.
As it stands, J.K. Rowling apparently isn’t involved in the day-to-day work that goes into the Harry Potter show. Rowling did, however, read over scripts during the writing process and had some level of involvement with casting the actors. While public discussions about the author continue, it seems Johnny Flynn and his collaborators are seeking to highlight their positive experiences with the work and Rowling’s source material.
Harry Potter is set to debut on HBO sometime in 2027, and it’ll also be available to stream with an HBO Max subscription. In the meantime, the original eight films can be streamed on that aforementioned platform.
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