A Scottish schoolboy who trained at a Cambuslang acting academy is preparing to become one of the most recognisable young faces in the world when the new Harry Potter television series premieres on Christmas Day.
Dominic McLaughlin was just 11 when he was chosen from more than 30,000 young hopefuls to play the famous boy wizard in HBO’s ambitious adaptation of JK Rowling’s bestselling books.
Now, more than 25 years after Daniel Radcliffe first appeared as Harry Potter on the big screen, the Scottish actor is about to inherit a role that could define his childhood and transform his career.
The new television series will be released on HBO Max on 25 December 2026, introducing Dominic to an international audience of millions.
While the original film franchise told Harry’s story across eight movies, released between 2001 and 2011, HBO intends to devote an entire television season to each of Rowling’s seven books.
The production has been conceived as a project lasting around a decade, meaning Dominic will spend his teenage years growing up on screen as Harry Potter.
Dominic trained for five years at The Performance Academy, an acting school based in Cambuslang, with classes across Glasgow, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian.
The academy helped develop his acting skills for stage and screen and represented him through its sister company, The Performers Agency.
His early acting experience included an appearance in a production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth at Edinburgh’s Royal Highland Centre, performing alongside Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma.
He also secured a role in the Sky comedy film Grow, starring Nick Frost, and was cast in Gifted, a BBC television adaptation of Marilyn Kaye’s books.
Then came the audition that would change his life.
When HBO announced his casting in May 2025, The Performance Academy celebrated the success of a pupil it had supported for years: “We are not sure that this will ever feel real but we said from the start that Dominic was the perfect Harry and we are thrilled for everyone else to see this soon too.
“Dominic, we will forever be proud of you! We have had an incredible journey with you these last five years at TPA and can’t wait for what’s next on this journey.”
His selection followed an extensive casting search across the UK and Ireland.
A behind-the-scenes documentary, Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic, revealed that casting directors first met Dominic in Glasgow.
Rather than delivering a conventional dramatic monologue, the youngster performed a rhyming poem about his weekend that he had written himself.
Casting director Lucy Bevan recalled being impressed by his individuality and the quiet confidence he displayed during the audition.
It was enough to help him secure one of the most sought-after roles in television.
Dominic has described playing Harry Potter as a dream come true: “I was always a huge Harry Potter fan when I was younger. And it was like the dream role, of course, so I’m thrilled to be able to be doing it.”
The young Scottish actor follows in the footsteps of Daniel Radcliffe was also 11 when filming began on Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The film was released in 2001 and turned the young English actor, alongside Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, into an international celebrity.
Radcliffe went on to appear in all eight films, then established a successful career beyond the wizarding world.
What do we know about the new Harry Potter series?
The first season, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, will consist of eight episodes and return to the beginning of Harry’s story.
Viewers will follow the young wizard as he discovers his magical abilities, arrives at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and begins to uncover the truth about his past.
Dominic will be joined by Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
The adult cast includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Warwick Davis, who appeared in the original films, will return as Professor Flitwick.
The series is being filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in Hertfordshire, where much of the original film franchise was made.
Francesca Gardiner, whose previous credits include Succession and His Dark Materials, is the showrunner, while Mark Mylod, who has worked on Succession and Game of Thrones, is directing several episodes.
Rowling is involved as an executive producer, alongside David Heyman, who produced the original Harry Potter films.
HBO has promised a more detailed adaptation of the novels, using the longer television format to develop characters and storylines that received less attention in the movies.
The studio has already commissioned a second season based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, with plans to continue adapting the remaining books.
Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer is also involved in creating the new musical score.
The release of the series will place Dominic at the centre of a global entertainment franchise with an established audience spanning generations.
A journey that began with classes at a local performing arts academy has taken him to the centre of a major international television production.
On Christmas Day, audiences around the world will get their first proper opportunity to see what the young Scottish actor will do in the role of a lifetime as Harry Potter.