Who is Dominic McLaughlin? Meet the 12-year-old actor playing Harry Potter in the 2026 TV reboot

Stepping into the role of an iconic character like Harry Potter is no easy feat! And it becomes even more challenging to meet the bar Daniel Radcliffe set in the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise. However, a newcomer is now stepping into the iconic role. In the upcoming Harry Potter series, releasing this Christmas, Dominic McLaughlin will step into the shoes of the iconic wizard. Here’s everything you need to know about the young actor.

Born in 2014, the Scottish actor is now 12 years old. He joined the ‘Harry Potter’ cast at the age of 11, the same age Daniel Radcliffe first took on the role of Harry in ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.He’s joined by Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

Dominic was born in Scotland. He’s originally from the Greater Glasgow/Cambuslang area. Dominic is a student at the Performance Academy Scotland, which publicly celebrated his casting after the news broke. In an Instagram post, the school shared, “If we could cast a spell to see our brilliant performer Dominic on screen sooner… we absolutely would! Dominic has officially stepped onto set, filming is now underway!”

In May 2025, after a national casting search involving over 30,000 children, he was selected to play Harry Potter in HBO’s upcoming series.
After Dominic was selected for Harry’s role, showrunner Francesca Gardiner and director/executive producer Mark Mylod confirmed the casting in a statement, saying, “After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron.” They also revealed that “tens of thousands of children” auditioned for the roles.

Dominic’s on-screen debut came in 2025 with the Sky family comedy ‘Grow,’ where he shared scenes with British favorite Nick Frost. The film offered a glimpse of his on-screen adaptability and range. The same year, he joined the cast of the BBC adventure drama ‘Gifted,’ based on Marilyn Kaye’s YA novel.