Harry Potter star admits he 'would have run a million miles' from TV reboot when
The Crown actor, 47, is known for playing Tony Blair in The Crown, Galgliesh in the detective drama of the same name, and as Simon Foster in BBC thriller series Doctor Foster.
He's also taken a spin as Donald Trump in Mike Bartlett's play The 47th, Nick Clegg in Coalition, and he's set to portray Prince Baelor 'Breakspear' Targaryen in a Game of Thrones spin off next year.
While his past roles have chopped and changed between politicians and detectives, Bertie admits he would have 'run a million miles' from the Harry Potter TV reboot if it was offered to him in his younger years.
'I would have run a million miles from a project like that. I've been more interested in variety, in not doing the same thing twice. But I'm a bit older now. I've got a bit less wanderlust, I'm happier to stay still,' he told The Times in a recent interview.
With filming at the Warner Bros. studio in Watford set to kick off this summer, it will be an easy 40 minute commute for Bertie, who lives in north London with his wife, the actress Sally Scott, and their five-year-old son.
Bertie will be portraying Cornelius Fudge – the bumbling and infuriating Minister for Magic, who was famously played by Robert Hardy in the Harry Potter films.
While he 'loved' the one script he's read, Bertie hadn't read the books before getting the role – and he'd only seen one or two of the films.
'I am coming at it with a really open mind,' he said. 'Whether I come back [after the first series] probably depends on what the fans think. I mean, I'll be furious if it's not an amazing part.'
The role isn't without controversy, given Harry Potter creator – and the new HBO series' executive producer – JK Rowling's comments about the trans community.
Other confirmed cast members include Bertie's The Crown co-star John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, I May Destroy You's Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonnagal, How Fuzz star Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Lovesick's Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy and The IT Crowd's Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley.
Harry's uncaring Dursley family members Aunt Petunia and Vernon Dursley will be played by Masters of the Air's Bel Powey and Daniel Rigby.
The main trio have been cast with newcomers Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione, and Alastair Stout as Ron, stepping into the shoes of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
Meanwhile, Tom Felton has announced his return to the Harry Potter universe, as he will reprise the role of Draco Malfoy, but this time in the Broadway production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. More Trending
On the controversy surrounding JK Rowling, Tom told Variety: 'I'm not really that attuned to it…
'I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter. She's responsible for that, so I'm incredibly grateful.'
Other actors have spoken out against the TV reboot due to JK Rowling's stance on trans rights.
On Instagram, Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan said Rowling's reaction to the Supreme Court ruling on gender was a 'new low' for the author, adding: 'Keep your new Harry Potter, lads. Wouldn't touch it with a 10ft pole.
Got a story?
If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
View More »
MORE: Michael Cera reveals relatable reason he 'turned down' Harry Potter role
MORE: JK Rowling reveals how involved she is in Harry Potter TV reboot after backlash
MORE: Every Nintendo Switch 2 launch game reviewed – all 25 games so far
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
an hour ago
- Glasgow Times
Reeves says welfare fallout ‘damaging' and declines to rule out tax hikes
The Chancellor warned there would be 'costs to what happened', as she faced questions about how she would cover a shortfall left by the Downing Street climbdown on planned cuts to disability benefits. The Government saw off the threat of a major Commons defeat over the legislation on Tuesday, after shelving plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip) in the face of a backbench revolt. Rachel Reeves said she had never considered resigning as Chancellor (Jack Hill/The Times/PA) The original welfare proposals had been part of a package that ministers expected would save up to £5 billion a year, with economists warning that tax rises are now likely to plug a gap left by the concessions to rebels. The fallout threatens to cause lasting damage to morale in Labour ranks, with some MPs calling for a reset in relations between the parliamentary party and the leadership before fractures widen. Images of the Chancellor crying in the Commons on Wednesday also spooked the financial markets and led to questions about her future, though a Treasury spokesman said the tears were the result of a personal matter and Downing Street said she would remain in post. In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Ms Reeves said she had never considered resigning, adding: 'I didn't work that hard to then quit.' She said she had gone to Prime Minister's Questions because she 'thought that was the right thing to do' but that 'in retrospect, I probably wished I hadn't gone in… (on) a tough day in the office'. Ms Reeves added: 'It's been damaging. 'I'm not going to deny that, but I think where we are now, with a review led by (disability minister) Stephen Timms, who is obviously incredibly respected and has a huge amount of experience, that's the route we're taking now.' Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the Government is still committed to welfare reform, but ministers will now wait for the conclusions of the Timms review before implementing changes to Pip.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Celebrity Gogglebox fans shocked as Alison Hammond is joined by rarely seen sister during debut on Channel 4 show
The trio were left shocked by some of the clips they had to watch family affair Celebrity Gogglebox fans shocked as Alison Hammond is joined by rarely seen sister during debut on Channel 4 show Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CELEBRITY Gogglebox fans have been left shocked after Alison Hammond was joined by her rarely seen sister. The This Morning star made her debut on Channel 4 show on Friday night alongside her son Aidan. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 2 Alison Hammond made her debut on Celebrity Gogglebox on Friday Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 2 She was joined by son Aidan and her sister Saundra Credit: Channel 4 The pair had their own BBC travel show earlier this year, so Aidan is no stranger to TV. But tonight they were joined by Alison's rarely seen sister Saundra. The trio watched clips from shows including Squid Game and Poop Cruise on Netflix. Before the show aired, Alison said in a statement: "I'm so excited to be doing Celebrity Gogglebox with my son Aidan. "We've always loved watching telly together, and now we get to do it on the sofa for the nation! "It's a real family affair too, because my fabulous sister Saundra is getting involved as well. "Expect laughs, eye-rolls, and lots of commentary, classic Hammond style!"
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Danny Dyer and Louis Tomlinson among famous faces at Oasis' Cardiff comeback
Friday, July 4, 2025, will go down as one of the biggest nights in British music history as Oasis graced a live stage for the first time in 16 years. The Mancunian Britpop heroes formed in Burnage in the early 1990s and quickly became—for better or worse—the defining band of their generation. But singer-songwriter brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher had a famously frosty relationship, and the band shockingly split when Noel quit in August 2009. After waging a cold war in the press for more than a decade, the two siblings kissed and made up in 2024 and announced a string of live dates for summer 2025. The Oasis Live 25 Tour kicked off in Cardiff on Friday night, with the 75,000 tickets sold at the Principality Stadium among the hottest in the world right now. But it's not just regular folks who've descended on the Welsh capital for a bit of the action—half a dozen famous faces have been spotted in the crowd as well. 📝| 'Louis is a huge Oasis fan and has been extremely open about failing to secure tickets in the queue. He's said to have found himself on tonight's guestlist, which promises to be one of the most exciting concerts in music history.'— The Mirror can reveal that the cheeky… — World Tomlinson (@LouisWT91World) July 4, 2025 The first to pop up was This Is England actress Vicky McClure, who joined the BBC's live coverage of the build-up to the Oasis gig and then went to grab a spot in the crowd. From the BBC itself, Radio 2 host Vernon Kay popped along, despite being called a 'lanky b*****d' by Liam Gallagher himself during a tense meeting between the two years ago. And MailOnline photographers spotted Gavin & Stacey star Rob Brydon in the crowd, with the Welsh actor not having to go too far from home to see his musical heroes. But stealing the headlines were none other than actor Danny Dyer, who was spotted in Cardiff earlier on Friday, and former One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson. Danny opted for dark sunglasses and a moustache to keep his identity a secret, but fans still managed to spot him walking along a road near the stadium. He was seen wearing a smart casual navy blue jacket as he walked alongside a friend (or bodyguard), with hundreds of onlookers none the wiser. And reports in The Mirror earlier today speculated that Walls hitmaker and Oasis superfan Louis had managed to secure himself a spot on the guest list. Louis had apparently tried and failed, along with thousands of others, to get his hands on those prized tickets earlier last year when they went on sale. He said at the time: 'I didn't [get tickets]. I was in the queue, but I never got a number. I did try. I did try. I have my fingers crossed.' Fellow musician Serge Pizzorno—of the Leicester-based rock band Kasabian—was also apparently spotted by reports, with Kasabian owing a lot to the Manchester band. Everton FC's manager, Sean Dyche, also sat on the BBC's sofa outside the Principality Stadium before taking his place among the thousands witnessing history. And it seems he set a bit of a trend, as fellow Premier League boss Nuno Espirito Santo, in charge at Nottingham Forest, was also rumoured by The Sun to be in attendance on Friday. At the gig, Oasis rolled back the years by playing some of their biggest hits, with some fans in Cardiff reckoning Liam sounded 'biblical' and better than ever. @ShaneRyanOneil exclaimed: 'Liam hasn't sounded this good in years. Biblical,' while @Jahvasconcelos said: 'Liam's voice sounds absolutely BIBLICAL. Unbeliveable.' More Trending The two brothers held hands as they walked onto the stage in Cardiff, with their gesture being greeted by huge cheers from the over 70,000-strong crowd. Bang on 8:15pm, Noel and Liam launched into their tune Hello, which opened their second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? all those years ago. After this, they went into Acquiesce – which originally appeared as the B-side to Oasis' first number-one single Some Might Say, in 1995. The words 'This is not a drill' appeared on the screen in giant letters, with the crowd—decked out in Mancunian bucket hats, sunglasses, and Oasis merch—sending cups flying by jumping in the air. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: All the stars in the Celebrity Gogglebox 2025 cast including TV legends MORE: British rapper reveals emotional reason he pulled out of gig with minutes to go MORE: Oasis superfan wants to be front row so Liam Gallagher sees tattoo of his face
