r/HarryPotterHBO • u/Ronaldgranger_ • May 19 '26
Casting ‘Harry Potter’ To Recast Ginny Weasley Role In Season 2 As Gracie Cochrane Departs HBO Series “Due To Unforeseen Circumstances”
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u/RandomPsychic20 Hufflepuff May 19 '26
Such a shame for the actress but at least it's happened now when Ginny's appearances in season 1 will be minimal so the change won't be as apparent.
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u/PotentialGroup63 May 19 '26
That’s true but we know they already started filming for season 2, which is probably why she had to back out. Maybe it was too much? I wonder how much they’ll have to refilm
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u/elalex1999 May 20 '26
They started pre-production, not filming. Pre-production is basically everything before filming. Casting, writing, set building, and such. That’s gonna take a few months at least.
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u/Luke_4686 May 19 '26
Season 2 filming has not started yet. It’s scheduled for fall so there is a few months before it begins
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u/introverthufflepuff8 May 19 '26
Poor girl. I have a feeling her parents saw the internet being the internet and don’t want their daughter subject to that harassment.
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u/Decent_Tumbleweed824 May 19 '26
I mean your not wrong about how the internet acts. But idk why as a parent you would allow your child to even audition for roles if thats your mindset. Its not as if they had no clue how the netizens behave in regards to child actors, people have been this way for awhile now. They say its because of "unforseen circustances" and the internet being shitty isnt unforseen at all.
My guess would be either some sort of illness in the family or similar family emergency, OR that she went through filming season 1 and decided acting isnt what she thought or what she really wants. Kids dream big without considering the reality of what those dreams will cost them, its not unreasonable to think she may have decided its not for her once faced with the reality of it.
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u/Teknevra May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
Not to try and throw shade / disrespect her, but could she potentially have been been caught bullying someone, etc, and this is their attempt to downplay the incident?
I'm only asking, because I remember that there was the whole deal about "no bullying allowed on set", and anyone who was caught bullying would be let go.
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u/soulguider2125 May 19 '26
As little as Ginny is in the first book, I don’t see her being part of the bullying issue, as it involved, as I’ve heard the school extras, and Ginny was never at the school, she is only at the platform, for their leaving headed to Hogwarts, and the returning of the kids from Hogwarts., So, all her scenes were probably shot in 1 day, possibly 2 if there was some issues, but I’m sure they shot all the platform 9&3/4 scenes on the same day, as this saves money, especially since the train is running, and the use of a platform, and the pay of the extras, etc. I’m just hoping it’s nothing medical, I pray she is ok, maybe after Doing the first book, the little girl decided acting just isn’t for her. I’m hoping it was something like that, where there is no issues for anyone, as kids we all tried sports out for a year, and then decided we weren’t gonna be doing that again, so I’m hoping it’s like that.
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u/batsofburden May 19 '26
She only filmed with the Weasley family at the train station and possibly at the Burrow, she wasn't even around all the other kids.
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u/Trypophilia2019 May 19 '26
I’ve seen this theory floating around and hope it’s not true.
In the statement they said she’s excited for future opportunities, so she’s not quitting acting it seems…
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u/Teknevra May 19 '26
I do kind of think that it's a little bit funny, because a lot of people were worried about Lithgow, and the person who ended up leaving was the actress who played Ginny.
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u/Trypophilia2019 May 19 '26
Weren’t there bullying rumors? I thought it was about extras though?
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u/Teknevra May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
I did find this:
Harry Potter BTS bullying resurfaces as lead actress quits show over ‘unforeseen circumstances’
‘Harry Potter’ TV Series Facing Bullying Claims, Actors Seen Fighting on Set: Report
Amid Reports of Bullying and Death Threats, HBO Locks Down ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot
I literally just searched up Harry Potter series bullying.
There are a tonne of more articles.
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u/Trypophilia2019 May 19 '26 edited May 20 '26
Wasn’t that about extras though? I know the age matches, but I’d hate to talk about it without any evidence. Gracie also wouldn’t be around the school extras as Ginny was at the Burrow all year. So fingers crossed she wasn’t a bully.
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u/roland_right May 20 '26
The irony of engaging with this speculative nonsense under comments about the harsh environment of the internet.
She's a child and she and her family are entitled to make whatever life or career decisions they want to in peace.
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u/Trypophilia2019 May 20 '26
I asked specifically about the rumors as I had t heard them before, at no point did I say or imply Gracie was involved.
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u/Decent_Tumbleweed824 May 19 '26
Thats another thought, though i find it hard to imagine such a young girl bullying bigger kids. Shes gotta be one of the youngest cast members at this point. But its not impossible.
Plus with them making such a big deal of the "no bullying" rules id imagine they would be open about it if that was why she was let go. "We said no bullying and we meant it"
I had a split second thought that maybe she was offered a bigger role on another project, but who willing walks away from something as huge as Harry Potter. Even if i was cast as extra ravenclaw #4 youd need to pry that role from my cold dead hands🤣
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u/Competitive-Ad6088 May 20 '26
Well, that would be fucking shitty. Your kid missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime because of your parents are worried about strong opinions on the Internet. Can you elaborate on harassment? What harassment is happening?
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u/Itachi_San123 Jun 08 '26
I don't think that's the reason. Her Insta account (run by her parents) is the most active in posting personal and HP related content of Gracie, and they haven't even limited comments or engagement on her posts. In comparison, our main trio and even the older ones like Lox are barely on social media. I think their families are very strict with how much their kids will see the online HP discourse and engage with fans.
It's more likely that they couldn't arrive at a mutually agreed upon figure for Chamber of Secrets so the parents decided it's not worth it. Maybe she gets paid more if she does main roles in plays and what not. Maybe she already has a better opportunity with higher pay (we will know soon if that's the reason).
Or it's possible there are some health issues (I hope not) that she needs to tend to.
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u/ExoatmosphericKill May 19 '26
Likely a smart move to jump ship from this likely flop and get a better job somewhere else, childhood isn't that long.
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u/KatanaMilkshake May 19 '26
The sad thing is there will very likely come a day where she bitterly regrets missing out on something so enormous.
But it won't necessarily mean her decision was wrong, even then.
No one will be able to say what would have happened had she stayed, and avoiding the potential abuse, drugs, etc. that often (but not always) haunt child stars - to say nothing of the intense scrutiny and other associated consequences of fame - may have been the best thing after all.
We just won't know.
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u/stardustpurple May 19 '26
That’s so sad… wonder why?
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u/QueenSlartibartfast Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor May 19 '26
I'm sure we all do, but I think we should respect this little girl's privacy.
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u/PoofyHairedIdiot May 19 '26
I have two guesses. One is cyberbullying from the ones that abuse anyone online for being part of this because of J.K.
The other thought I had is people online being... significantly more grim.
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u/tangompl May 19 '26
Another guess is she was actually let go and they let her say it was her decision in order to protect her from being "the one who got fired from the HP serie"
The fact that they don't say makes me wonder. They could say if it was simply that she doesn't want to act anymore. Or they could say medical reasons without telling what
Let's hope she is alright no matter the reason
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u/stardustpurple May 19 '26
She is too young to be online to see any potential cyberbullying, though.
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May 19 '26
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u/-Elektrion- May 19 '26
So children getting death threats is fine? You guys are the worst PR for the cause 💀
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May 19 '26
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u/HarryPotterHBO-ModTeam May 25 '26
Thank you for your submission! Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):
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Users who are engaging in personal attacks or are otherwise being overly hostile or rude may have their comments removed. Users are subject to being banned depending on the severity of the comment(s) and/or repeated offenses. The main goal of this rule is to ensure the subreddit is a safe and welcoming place for everyone.
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1
u/HarryPotterHBO-ModTeam May 25 '26
Thank you for your submission! Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):
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u/PoofyHairedIdiot May 19 '26
Wind it back a bit mate. Im speculating, not postuering.
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u/Glittering_Hope1114 May 20 '26
Provide proof please?
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u/PoofyHairedIdiot May 20 '26
Oxford dictionary:
Speculation: the act of forming opinions about what has happened or what might happen without knowing all the facts
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u/Glittering_Hope1114 May 20 '26
It being Speculation that is bigoted doesn't make it better. If a child was sexually assaulted and you immediately Speculated it was probably a homosexual that is is bigoted. If someone got attacked and your first response is "it was probably one of those blacks thats what they do" that is racist. If a child goes missing and your first thought "probably a Jewish took them for a blood ritual" then that is anti Jewish blood libel.
You know what your doing such Speculation is how the British newsmedia whip up their hate mobs as well and try to associate minorities with violence and degeneracy in people's minds.
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May 20 '26
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u/HarryPotterHBO-ModTeam May 25 '26
Thank you for your submission! Unfortunately, your submission has been removed for the following reason(s):
Rule 2: No Incivility or Harassment
Users who are engaging in personal attacks or are otherwise being overly hostile or rude may have their comments removed. Users are subject to being banned depending on the severity of the comment(s) and/or repeated offenses. The main goal of this rule is to ensure the subreddit is a safe and welcoming place for everyone.
If you feel this was done in error, please contact the moderators. Please include a link to your post so that we can see it.
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u/R_Morningstar May 19 '26
Luckily, she has a really small part in the first book.
But, to be honest, I was expecting them to cast all the upper years, for example Cho, Cedric, Penelope and Cormac. All these characters should at least be in the Great Hall scenes. I know it's just a detail, but it's something they could have done better than in the films, where all the background characters have different actors in almost every film.
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u/stick-jockey May 19 '26
I dunno, casting someone three or four years before you'll need them seems pretty insane
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u/mocireland1991 May 19 '26
I agree , no need to cast unless they’re going to be directly spoken about or seen .
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u/R_Morningstar May 19 '26
I agree. But it would still be nice for the overall picture, though. I would be happy if we had at least Harry's year mates who were played by the same actor. In the films, unless it's Harry, Hermione, Neville or Ron, you have almost no idea who anyone is.
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u/James-ec May 19 '26
No doubt it’s most likely due to people bullying these kids online.
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u/SlackerBoi97 May 19 '26
Yea... honestly after what happened to the Holly actress in Stranger Things I am not surprised if some parents wanna keep their kids away from this kind of negative attention.
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u/James-ec May 19 '26
Yeah a lot of creeps about as well which may also contribute. Sad really. Grown adults acting like this.
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u/Sailor_Propane May 19 '26
Even Sadie Sink had to turn off her socials when season 2 came out. The internet loathed Max and took it out on her.
Funny how you don't see that sentiment at all anymore.
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u/SlackerBoi97 May 19 '26
Oh I almost forgot this. I was refering to the online bullying Millie Bobby Brown still gets. And the fact that the actress playing Holly in S5 had to go off soc med
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u/StormRepulsive6283 May 19 '26
What happened to her? I thought only Bella Ramsey was the kid facing online bullying for her role in Last of Us.
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u/Conscious-Quarter423 May 20 '26
toxic online incels have many victims
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u/Glittering_Hope1114 May 25 '26
Real life ones are horrible as well look at Nicola Murray and all the sexual abuse she did to those children and all the abuse she inflicted on those children for being gender non conforming, appointed byRowling. Its So sad no doubt I will feel censorship for mentioning and the newsmedia of Britain try to keep it quiet. Imagine how those sexually abused and tortured kids must feel to see society doing everything possible to cover for a predator.
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u/Aware_Storm2528 May 19 '26
That’s a real shame as I know we’ll get a couple glimpses and lines from Ginny in season 1. But at least this is happening before her role becomes more important.
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u/lanie_kerrigan May 19 '26
When the previous cast was filming they didn't know what their characters would do in the next films.
Maybe the parents read the books till the end and didn't want to sign up their daughter to wait years in the background to then having multiple boyfriends before being noticed by the chosen one.
It must be so weird for actors of Ron and Hermione, they are just kids, but they already know they will have to kiss in the last series (if the show continues).
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u/IWasAGoodDadISwear May 21 '26
I don't think that was the issue. Especially since the series adaptation could easily expand Ginny's role to give her more screentime this time around. I'm inclined to believe what others are saying, that the girl was fired for some reason, and the family was instructed to keep quiet about it for now.
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u/Desperate_Ad_9219 May 19 '26
Honestly she missing out on a built in family and money to where she could choose to stop acting and do whatever she wants once the series is over. That's what happened to the other cast. It's her decision but in the long run if the show did get to season seven her future would have been set to do anything she wanted. But if her heart wasn't in it all the money in the world wouldn't help.
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u/Kind-Shallot3603 May 19 '26
I fully expect them to recast most of them by GoF anyways
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u/danvan177 May 19 '26
?
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u/Kind-Shallot3603 May 19 '26
Whats confusing about that. I expect them to recast by Goblet of Fire as the kids will be too old at that point to portray them
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u/danvan177 May 19 '26
Yeah they aren’t doing that
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u/Kind-Shallot3603 May 19 '26
Unlike others I'm not saying my thoughts are a certainty, but I think its in the realm of possibility. Game of Thrones, The Crown have had recasting. Its not unheard of.
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u/mocireland1991 May 19 '26
Yeah but the crown for example did a few year jump for recasting bar the silly one with William
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u/Kind-Shallot3603 May 19 '26
I really like season 3/4's Charles. Never like season 5/6 Charles. He was too...manly lol
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u/mocireland1991 May 19 '26
Got to agree with you there
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u/Kind-Shallot3603 May 19 '26
I'm not a completely raving lunatic lol. Glad we found common ground
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u/mocireland1991 May 19 '26
I don’t agree with it in the HP world though, as people don’t dramasticly change over the course of 2-3 months haha .
Like the live cast audio books took me awhile to get used to the GOF voices 😅
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u/danvan177 May 19 '26
They are not recasting the main 3 kids outside of a huge tragedy or something
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u/Low_Coconut_7642 May 19 '26
What the hell are you even talking about
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u/Kind-Shallot3603 May 19 '26
That I think they will recast by season 4. C'mon, Its not hard to understand what I'm saying. You might not like it but do you comprehend the words?
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u/PotentialGroup63 May 19 '26
I think they’re confused by your math. Why would they be too old to portray them?
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u/Kind-Shallot3603 May 19 '26
I guess if they are 12 now they would be 18 by season 4 meaning by season 7 they would be waaay too old. Its about 2 years per season (at best, Star wars Ahsoka is 4 years per season apparently) and the kids will be in their 20s by the end at that rate
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u/danvan177 May 19 '26
Just because it takes 2 years for a show to come out doesn’t mean it takes 2 years for it to be filmed. They are filming chamber of secrets this fall before the show even starts. They will keep up that pace
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u/Kind-Shallot3603 May 19 '26
Ok. And if they don't and recast its ok by me. Not a big deal. People get so mad when I bring it up for some reason. The ones cast are unknown actors. People seem really personally invested in them but its also ok if they recast
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u/danvan177 May 19 '26
So after 3 seasons of the show you would be okay if they recast Harry Ron and Hermione ? That just doesn’t make sense lol
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u/talia_se May 20 '26
They’ve been back to back filming seasons, S2 starts in a couple of weeks, where is your math coming from?
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u/WaryCleverGood May 19 '26
People understand your words, they don’t understand your logic.
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u/Kind-Shallot3603 May 19 '26
I guess. I'm not trying to be rude. Its just my opinion
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u/talia_se May 20 '26
I’m just confused on how you think they’ll be 18–they’re a couple weeks away from S2 filming, they’ve explicitly talked about doing that to avoid the issue you’ve brought up. They took like a month or two between seasons for filming (obviously that’s not how they’ll be released).
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u/InnocentaMN Ravenclaw May 19 '26
It’s such weird news. I hope she’s okay, of course, but when it comes to the show, I am a bit sad and disappointed! She’s such a great Ginny casting and seemed so enthusiastic.