From trans teen and king to "Harry Potter": HBO's new series has cast an actor with the most unexpected background (J.K. Rowling is probably furious)

In the new HBO Max series set in the Harry Potter universe, the role of Charlie Weasley will be played by 25-year-old British actor Harry Gilby. The casting decision has attracted increased media attention: the cisgender actor previously played a 14-year-old trans girl in an independent drama, and the franchise’s creator and show executive producer, J. K. Rowling, is known for her active anti-trans stance.

Who is Harry Gilby?

Harry Gilby — a 25-year-old British actor from Nottingham, with 13 film, television, and theatre roles already under his belt. He began his acting career in 2013 in the original cast of the West End musical The Full Monty, and made his television debut in 2016 in an episode of the period drama Jericho.A post shared by Harry Gilby (@harrygilby)A post shared by Patch Studio (@patch_studio__)

Gilby became widely known for Charlie Lindsey’s role in the 2017 independent film “Just Charlie” (Just Charlie). By plot, the character is an up-and-coming football star who comes to terms with his gender identity and faces misunderstanding from his family and team. For this role, Gilby received two nominations — for British Independent Film Awards in the category of “Most Promising Newcomer” and for the National Film Awards UK in the category of “Best Newcomer.”

Later he also played the young writer J. R. R. Tolkien in the biopic “Tolkien” (2019) and King Ethelstan in the series “The Last Kingdom” (2022) and its feature-length sequel (2023).

Who will he play, and what happened to the previous Charlie Weasley?

In the upcoming HBO Max show, Gilby has landed the role Charlie Weasley — the second-oldest son in the magical Weasley family.

In the original film franchise, Charlie Weasley was a minor character. His only on-screen appearance was a shot lasting about 1.5 seconds in the film "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (2004), where the Weasley family is shown in a newspaper photo while on a trip to Egypt. The role was played by actor and model Alex Crockford at the time.

Crockford has already congratulated Gilby on social media, saying it was time to hand over the dragon-taming kit. He also wished his successor more screen time than his own 1.5-second record.

What's the irony of the situation?

Gilby's casting is being discussed because of his position J. K. Rowling, who serves as an executive producer on the series. Since 2020, the author has regularly made public statements against transgender rights.

Rowling’s net worth is estimated by the newspaper The Times at one billion US dollars, and she uses her funds to finance prominent initiatives. In 2025, the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund was created to support cisgender women. In addition, the author donated around $88,000 to the organization , which won a UK Supreme Court ruling that the legal definitions of “man” and “woman” are determined strictly by biological sex. For Women ScotlandBecause of the author’s views, the franchise has faced protests: earlier this month, transgender rights activists staged a demonstration on the red carpet before the London West End performance of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

What else is known about the new series?

The series’ writer and showrunner is

• The series is written and showrun by Francesca Gardiner. In the executive producer team, in addition to Rowling, are Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, David Heyman, Laura Neal and John Brown.
• The first season is scheduled to premiere on HBO on December 25.
• At present, filming is taking place at the studio Leavesden north of London, where filming is already underway for the second season, based on the book “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”.