While the majority of the cast from Harry Potter season 1 will carry over to season 2, J.K. Rowling's books consistently introduce a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in every school year. This means that Luke Thallon's Professor Quirrell will depart after this first batch of episodes to make room for the new member of staff in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets—Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. This memorably eccentric character was played by Kenneth Branagh in the original movie. Now, in HBO's Harry Potter remake, Nicholas Hoult is taking over the role.
This is one of those castings that just really hits the nail on the head. Hoult is tried and true within villainous or antihero roles, currently maintaining a stint as Lex Luthor in DC's current Superman iteration. Even more equitable to Professor Lockhart, however, is Hoult's performance as Emperor Peter III in The Great. This is an actor who can pull off charm and ridiculousness all at once, and that's just what Lockhart calls for. Really, when considering the canon character, Hoult is an even better fit than Branagh.
The Harry Potter Movies Made A Consistent Mistake With The Adult Characters
Warner Bros used some of the most legendary British actors of all time to fill in the adult roles in its Harry Potter movies. In many ways, they made the franchise, perfectly balancing out the relative inexperience of the child cast. Alongside Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, and beyond, Branagh made perfect sense, and he did a fantastic job with the role. However, like many other adult Harry Potter characters, Lockhart's actor was much older than the books originally suggested.
Professor Lockhart is supposed to be a young man in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets—only about 28 years old. In contrast, Branagh was 41 years old during filming of the 2002 movie. Hoult is currently 36 and can easily pass for a character in their late 20s. In general, he will bring a more youthful quality to Lockhart, which really should be the whole point. This character is meant only to be a decade out from a rather unremarkable school career, making it all the more baffling that he somehow found such remarkable success fighting the Dark Arts.
Lily and James Potter were meant to be 21 when they died, but they were played in the movies by Geraldine Somerville and Adrian Rawlins, who were 34 and 43, respectively. Similarly, Snape is meant to be 31 in Philosopher's Stone, while Rickman was 55 when filming started.
Foolish young hubris and unearned confidence translate differently to a character in their 20s than they do to one in their 40s. Therefore, Hoult's version of Lockhart in Harry Potter season 2 should come across more as Rowling originally intended. Since HBO has promised a book-faithful adaptation, this is precisely how it should be. We love the actors from the movies, but many of their ages mask the tragic or cautionary tales these characters represent. In the case of Lockhart, we need to see the ridiculousness of this young man pretending to be something he is not.
Nicholas Hoult's Harry Potter Role Should Extend Beyond Season 2
The more book-faithful casting here is a great sign that we will see Hoult in more than just Harry Potter season 2. While Branagh only played Professor Lockhart in the 2002 film, the character actually made a returning appearance in the books that didn't make it to the screen. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit Arthur Weasley at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, where they happen to run into their old school teacher. Lockhart is a permanent resident there, and the Golden Trio see that little about him has changed.
Lockhart's return wasn't key to the plot in the Harry Potter books, but the visit to St. Mungos was full of hints regarding the central mystery of Order of the Phoenix, not to mention valuable information about Neville Longbottom's parents. Given HBO's promise for book faithfulness, we can almost certainly expect all this to play out in Harry Potter season 5. After what we can only assume will be a fan-favorite performance in season 2, Hoult's return a handful of years later is sure to be a welcome one. It's just another thing to look forward to.
Release Date
December 25, 2026
Showrunner
Francisca Gardiner
Directors
Mark Mylod
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Dominic McLaughlin
Harry Potter
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Janet McTeer
Minerva McGonagall
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English (US) ·