HBO’sHarry PotterTV show is repeating a mistake that the movies made with its casting, but there’s still hope that it can be fixed. While theHarry Pottermovies are still beloved today, they aren’t exempt from criticism. There are a handful of ways the Warner Bros films got things wrong, and it’s precisely this that makes the idea of a TV remake so intriguing. Some of the key aspects from theHarry Potterbooks that the movies cut or altered can finally be brought to the screen far more faithfully. However, in some ways, HBO’s remake is off to a somewhat rough start.
Though we are still a long way off from thepremiere ofHarry Potterseason 1, HBO has been keeping its remake in headlines through periodic casting announcements. Most recently, we got word that the roles ofHarry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley had finally been cast.They will be played by Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout, respectively, and, so far, it seems as if they really fit the bill. However, I’m a bit surprised to see that, like Daniel Radcliffe, McLaughlin doesn’t appear to have green eyes.
HBO’s New Harry Potter Actor Doesn’t Have Green Eyes
Dominic McLaughlin Is Another Blue-Eyed Potter
Radcliffe was the perfect Boy Who Lived in theoriginalHarry Pottermoviesin nearly every way. However, a frustrating factor is that this actor didn’t have green eyes. It’s repeatedly stated in theHarry Potterbooks that Harry greatly resembles his father, except for his bright green eyes. These are Lily’s eyes, andthis connection between mother and son is profoundly important to the overarching story. Unfortunately, Radcliffe’s eyes weren’t only blue, but they bore no resemblance to the brown eyes of the actors who played Lily Evans in theHarry Pottermovies.
HBO’sHarry Potterremake was a chance to fix the uneven continuity of theHarry Pottermovies. Unfortunately, the new TV show seems to be repeating the same old mistakes, since McLaughlin doesn’t have green eyes either. Though this young new star will surely make an excellent Harry Potter, just as Radcliffe did,it’s a bit frustrating that the key traits of the book characters weren’t prioritized. Luckily, times have changed since theHarry Pottermovies were made, so there may still be hope that McLaughlin’s on-screen character will look the way he is supposed to.
Fixing Dominic McLaughlin’s Eye Color Should Be Easier Than It Was For Daniel Radcliffe
TV Magic Is A Little Easier To Pull Off These Days
Radcliffe’s eye color didn’t go unnoticed by the creative minds behind theHarry Pottermovies. The actor was famously meant to wear green contact lenses when he first stepped into his role inHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but he suffered an allergic reaction during the first days of filming. It was ultimately decided that the on-screen Harry would have blue eyes. As the movies continued, the characters made their comments about Harry and Lily having the same color eyes, andit was essentially expected that audiences would ignore the fact that this wasn’t true.
We can hope that McLaughlin won’t have the same allergy that Radcliffe did, and that green contacts will be used for theHarry PotterTV show. However, even if the costume department doesn’t want to force this young actor to stick lenses in his eyes, an alternative should be much easier today than it was back in the early 2000s. Digitally altering McLaughlin’s eyes to appear green may still be arduous, but such a thing isn’t unheard of in the realm of fantasy TV.
Digitally altering McLaughlin’s eyes to appear green may still be arduous, but such a thing isn’t unheard of in the realm of fantasy TV.
