Harry Potter has found its next young Voldemort for Season 2, but the casting news leaves one major question unsettled. HBO has locked in an actor set to play Tom Riddle, but fans have questions about who will play his adult form.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, award-winning actor Billy Barratt will play Tom Riddle, who eventually becomes Lord Voldemort. Barratt made headlines by becoming the youngest-ever recipient of an International Emmy Award when he won Best Performance by an Actor at age 13. The English actor will portray Tom Riddle in the new TV adaptation.
However, the streamer has not announced who will play the grown-up version of the character, played by young Barratt. Voldemort first appeared in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, which adapts the 1997 novel that serves as the basis for the upcoming TV show’s first season.
The report also mentions two additional cast announcements for Season 2. British actor Lenny Rush will play Dobby the house-elf via CGI, while Bonnie Hill will take over the role of Ginny Weasley from Gracie Cochrane, who exited after Season 1.
Who played Tom Riddle and Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies?
The original Warner Bros. Harry Potter film franchise used multiple actors across eight movies to play Voldemort and his younger counterpart, Tom Riddle.
In the original film series, Ralph Fiennes famously played the adult Voldemort in multiple installments, performing one of the franchise’s most iconic characters. Before Fiennes, Richard Bremmer voiced and motion-captured the Dark Lord in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, while Ian Hart voiced his face on the back of Professor Quirrell’s head.
The villain’s younger versions appeared in two films. Christian Coulson played teenage Tom Riddle in Chamber of Secrets, and he was then played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin as an 11-year-old in Half-Blood Prince. Frank Dillane also played a teenage version of Riddle in the same movie.
HBO’s Harry Potter TV series is arriving on December 25, 2026.