Nicholas Hoult Returns to Harry Potter 25 Years After His Original Audition

Nicholas Hoult is finally joining the Harry Potter franchise after first auditioning for the role of Harry Potter as a child more than two decades ago.

According to recent reports, the British actor has been cast as Gilderoy Lockhart in Season 2 of HBO's Harry Potter series, marking a full-circle return to the franchise after he previously auditioned for Harry and Draco Malfoy.

Nicholas Hoult Cast as Gilderoy Lockhart

Hoult will play Gilderoy Lockhart, the flamboyant Defence Against the Dark Arts professor first introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Kenneth Branagh previously played the character in the 2002 film adaptation.

HBO confirmed Hoult's casting on 11 August, adding another established name to its television reboot. The series stars Dominic McLaughlin as Harry, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, with John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall.

The casting is particularly notable because Hoult's relationship with Harry Potter began long before the HBO series was conceived.

Nicholas Hoult Previously Auditioned for Harry Potter

Hoult has repeatedly recalled auditioning for the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone film around 2000 and 2001. He initially tried for the title role that eventually went to Daniel Radcliffe.

During a later appearance on Hot Ones Versus, Hoult said he remembered attending several auditions and even wearing fake glasses. After failing to land Harry, he was asked to audition for Draco Malfoy, played by Tom Felton.

That did not work out either. Hoult joked that he gradually auditioned for almost every available Harry Potter role before finally being rejected. He also recalled telling director Chris Columbus years later that he was still waiting to hear back from his original audition.

In 2002, contemporary coverage also reported on his original Harry Potter audition, shortly after About a Boy helped establish Hoult as a young actor.

From Harry Potter Auditions to Gilderoy Lockhart

More than 20 years after missing out on Harry Potter, Hoult has returned to Hogwarts in a very different position.

Now 36, the actor has built a career across major franchises and critically recognised films, including the X-Men series, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Menu and Nosferatu. He also plays Lex Luthor in James Gunn's Superman.

Hoult previously acknowledged the possibility of joining HBO's Harry Potter series. In a 2025 interview, he said he loved the stories but joked that he was now too old to play Harry. He left open the possibility of appearing elsewhere in the Wizarding World.

HBO's Harry Potter Series Begins Its New Era

The timing gives Hoult's casting an extra layer. The HBO series is preparing to introduce a new generation of Harry Potter characters, with its first season adapting Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

The first season is scheduled to debut at Christmas 2026, while HBO has already renewed the series for a second season.

For Hoult, however, the story began long before the new cast arrived at Hogwarts. He once auditioned to be the boy who lived. A quarter-century later, he is returning to the same world as one of its most memorable professors.