Ralph Fiennes has officially closed the door on returning as the Dark Lord. According to Variety, the actor appeared on The Claudia Winkleman Show and suggested that his time as Voldemort is firmly behind him — but he didn't leave fans empty-handed, throwing out Tilda Swinton as someone he thinks would be "amazing" in the role.
Why This Changes Everything for the HBO Series
HBO's Harry Potter series was always going to face the question of legacy casting — how much do you honor the films, and how much do you reinvent? With Fiennes himself signaling he won't be back, that question is now wide open in the most exciting possible way. Voldemort isn't just a villain; he's the villain — the gravitational center of the entire saga. Whoever steps into that role will define the new series just as much as whoever plays Harry, Hermione, or Dumbledore. The casting conversation has officially begun in earnest, and Swinton's name being floated is genuinely fascinating. She's played androgynous, otherworldly, and menacing with effortless precision throughout her career. It's not a wild suggestion — it's an inspired one.
What myCast Fans Are Already Saying
The myCast community hasn't been waiting around for official announcements. Over on the Harry Potter fan cast — the most active Harry Potter story on the platform with 54 votes across 16 roles — fans have already staked out their pick for He Who Must Not Be Named: Colin Morgan leads the Lord Voldemort vote with 7 votes. The Merlin and The Fall actor is an intriguing choice — tall, sharp-featured, and no stranger to long-form fantasy storytelling. There's a cold intelligence to Morgan's screen presence that could translate chillingly to Voldemort.
Elsewhere in that same story, the fan casting picture is equally compelling. John Lithgow is the top pick for Professor Dumbledore with 7 votes — a choice that would bring tremendous gravitas and a very different energy than Ian McKellen-style wizardly warmth. Dexter Sol Ansell leads as Draco Malfoy and Alexander Vlahos tops the Severus Snape vote with 8 votes each, while Nick Frost has fans backing him as Rubeus Hagrid with 5 votes — which, honestly, feels right in a way that's hard to argue with.