Three of Harry Potter's most iconic castings come from a surprising source

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Published Jun 14, 2026, 11:55 AM EDT

Steven Spielberg is responsible for casting some of the main characters in the Harry Potter film series

Harry and Hagrid walking in Diagon Alley

In a recent interview, Steven Spielberg confirmed that he played a part in casting three iconic characters in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Without the actors he hand-picked, those original movies will be very different.

Spielberg was briefly attached to direct the first Harry Potter movie early in its development. He was asked about his work on the project during an interview about Disclosure Day on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. In response, Spielberg revealed he actually played a role in proposing the casting of three iconic characters from that first film: Richard Harris' Dumbledore, Maggie Smith's Professor McGonagall, and Robbie Coltrane's Hagrid.

"I developed the second draft with Steve [Kloves, writer,] trying to turn it into something that I was interested in directing...I had just worked with Maggie Smith on Hook, so I proposed Maggie Smith. I knew Richard Harris — he was a friend from a long time ago — I put him in the movie. And Robbie Coltrane. That was it. But then I got out of the movie for personal reasons. No anger, no big controversy, I stepped out. And then my protege, Chris Columbus, stepped in and made two great Harry Potter films."

While Spielberg was ultimately not involved in the production, his input helped give Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone one of the most iconic casts of all time. The Harry Potter franchise has continued to this day, although book author J. K. Rowling's anti-transgender views have loomed over Warner Bros. latest movie, gaming, and TV efforts with Harry Potter.

Later this year, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone will be adapted again in the form of a season of television show on HBO Max. In that rendition, Dumbledore will be portrayed by John Lithgow, Professor McGonagall will be portrayed by Janet McTeer, and Hagrid will be portrayed by Nick Frost.

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