Nick Frost says Harry Potter fans won't like his role — but he's ready for it
HBO’s book-faithful Harry Potter reboot is on the way, but new Hagrid Nick Frost is already bracing for backlash, warning some fans won’t warm to his take at first — and teasing how his gentle giant will differ from the films.
Right, so HBO is rolling the dice with its new Harry Potter series, promising a take that's more faithful to the books than the blockbuster films ever managed. If you're wondering how they're handling the major roles, well, here's your first curveball: Nick Frost is stepping in as Hagrid. And, let's be honest, he's not pretending everyone will love what he's about to do with the character.
Hagrid, but Not As You Remember Him
Frost is inheriting one of the most beloved roles in British pop culture from the late Robbie Coltrane, whose wild, biker-inspired Hagrid won everybody over. But HBO isn't just rehashing the old magic for telly: this time, each series gets a full eight hours per book, rather than the two and a half you got from the films. Frost reckons that's a proper opportunity to dig below the surface.
Speaking to The Times, Frost spelled it out: his Hagrid comes from Bristol, not some vague Scottish-accented wilderness. He's played quiet, with a calmness the films never really touched. In Frost's own words:
'I’ve tried to take what Robbie did and honor that … but also I’ve got eight hours here each series, while Robbie had two and a half — there has to be a bit more to him. Some people won’t like it. They’ll go, "Not my Hagrid." And that is all right.'
What's Actually Different?
Instead of drawing on Coltrane's hard-edged Hells Angel inspiration, Frost is looking to Michael Clarke Duncan’s John Coffey in The Green Mile. Here's how he describes it: 'huge, violent but childlike.' So: less stubborn biker, more gentle giant with a touch of emotional frailty. It's a choice that will absolutely ruffle some feathers—same scale, completely new ethos.
If You’re Wondering: Yes, He Really Wanted This
- Frost didn’t just wait for the job to come to him. He went properly superstitious and wrote 'Hagrid' by hand 8,000 times, apparently as a bit of a manifestation ritual. Even by the standards of actors, that’s a level of dedication (or mild obsession) you don’t see every day.
- This new take on Hagrid debuts when the HBO series launches on 25th December.