HBO’s Harry Potter remake is in the process of casting its Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall, and Janet McTeer has already proved she’s perfect for the latter role. If McTeer officially signs on to play the head of Gryffindor House in the upcoming Harry Potter show, she’ll have big shoes to fill after Maggie Smith’s performance as Professor McGonagall. Fortunately, McTeer would bring decades of acting experience to the table, including stints on three popular shows that perfectly prepare her to play the iconic Harry Potter character.
McGonagall is among the most important adult characters at Hogwarts after Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, and she’s someone who requires a delicate balancing act to get right. Smith managed to walk the line between the two sides of McGonagall’s personality impressively, highlighting why she was perfect for the Harry Potter role. McTeer will also need to master the character’s duality if she hopes to deliver a faithful portrayal of her. Fortunately, she’s already shown she’s capable of it.
There’s 1 Professor McGonagall Balance The Harry Potter Remake’s Actor Needs To Nail
The Character Must Have An Intimidating Side & A More Compassionate One
Many Harry Potter characters can be broken down to one prominent trait, but McGonagall has two distinct sides to her: the stern, strict Hogwarts professor and the kinder, more compassionate mentor. Part of the reason McGonagall is so lovable in the books is because she balances both of these personas well, bringing each of them out at exactly the right time. The more intimidating version of McGonagall shows why she’s such a well-respected and powerful witch, while the softer side of her character makes her all the more endearing to students and readers.
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Smith knew how to juggle both qualities on-screen, ensuring that the Harry Potter movies’ take on McGonagall fit with her book description — and that she landed well with viewers. Some of the star’s best moments as McGonagall involved well-timed jokes or heartfelt interactions with her students. However, when it came down to it, Smith’s take on the character could put up a fierce fight against Death Eaters, something she proved during the Battle of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Given that this balancing act is true to McGonagall’s character in the Harry Potter books, McTeer will need to master it just as well as Smith.
Given that this balancing act is true to McGonagall’s character in the Harry Potter books, McTeer will need to master it just as well as Smith. The odds are in her favor though, as she has played characters who exhibit McGonagall’s most important qualities in previous projects. That will make it easier to slip into the two sides of her character in the upcoming Harry Potter remake.
Janet McTeer’s Ozark & Kaos Roles Prove She Can Handle McGonagall’s Intimidating Side
Helen Pierce & Hera Prepared Her To Play The Harry Potter Professor
McTeer has many great roles under her belt, but two of her recent TV series stand out ahead of her potential Harry Potter casting: Netflix’s Ozark and Kaos. In Ozark, McTeer took on the role of Helen Pierce, an accomplished lawyer who works for the Navarro drug cartel. As you might imagine, this position pushes her to be extremely competent and ruthless. She’s someone who can work with people like the Byrdes, but she’s also there to intimidate them. She’s charming but stern, and she’ll do anything for her daughter. Strangely enough, this all sets her up to succeed as McGonagall.
Although both Helen Pierce and Hera are both more ruthless than McGonagall, the characters do prove that McTeer can be formidable.
McTeer’s Kaos role boasts similar energy to her Ozark one, as she plays Hera in Netflix’s one-season Greek mythology satire. Although she’s forced to deal with the whims and outbursts of Jeff Goldblum’s Zeus, Hera is fierce, commanding, and confident — all traits that McTeer’s McGonagall could benefit from. Although both Helen Pierce and Hera are both more ruthless than McGonagall, the characters do prove that McTeer can be formidable. And since she can’t swing completely in that direction, it’s a good thing Jessica Jones showed her ability to balance that with compassion.
Jessica Jones Shows Janet McTeer Can Capture Both Parts Of McGonagall’s Personality
The Netflix Series Proves She Can Swing Between Extremes, Too
McTeer played the titular character’s mother, Alisa, in Netflix’s Jessica Jones, and the role is another worthy addition to her lineup. Like McTeer’s Ozark and Kaos characters, Alisa is a complex figure who requires a careful approach. Alisa continues McTeer’s trend of embodying formidable female characters, but she also has a kinder side that comes out at times. McTeer even discussed this detail of the character with TheWrap, noting, “You need somebody who can look like they’re really scary and terrifying, but someone who can also be more complicated, softer, more motherly.“
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While McGonagall shouldn’t necessarily be scary, it is important that McTeer can tackle her character’s more compassionate and nurturing moments. And the fact that she’s gone back and forth between the two extremes in Jessica Jones bodes well for her potential Harry Potter casting. After all, she’ll need to switch each side on and off depending on what McGonagall is doing and whom she’s interacting with. Although the Golden Trio is the central focus of the story, getting characters like McGonagall wrong could make or break the show.
Why Getting This Balancing Act Right Is So Important For The Harry Potter Show
There’s A Lot Of Pressure On The HBO Remake’s New Cast
It’s a relief that McTeer is capable of the balancing act that McGonagall requires in the Harry Potter remake, as getting the characters right will be crucial to the series’ success. One of the harshest realities about HBO’s Harry Potter show is that it will inevitably be compared to the original adaptations. And if there’s one thing the movies get right, it’s the casting and character portrayals. Many of the original stars are now the faces associated with their characters, and it will be difficult for even the best talent to live up to expectations.
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Add in the other challenges that the HBO show faces — like ensuring a story that’s faithful enough to please book fans but different enough to stand out from the movies — and it really can’t afford to take risks that could alienate viewers. Poorly casting certain characters or portraying them too differently from their book counterparts would be one such risk. So, the TV show must aim high while looking for talent. Fortunately, the experience of actors like McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, and John Lithgow suggests it’s doing just that.
HBO’s Harry Potter remake is expected to premiere in 2026.
And with stars like McTeer not just having impressive acting backgrounds, but also prior roles relevant to their potential Harry Potter characters, fans can rest knowing that the remake is taking the right approach. Hopefully, these casting rumors are confirmed soon, with McTeer and Essiedu joining Lithgow as actors officially associated with the show. It will be a relief to know that the remake will do justice to some of the series’ most prominent adult characters.
Source: TheWrap
Harry Potter
- Showrunner
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Francisca Gardiner
- Directors
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Mark Mylod