Twenty-six years ago today, on 21 August 2000, Warner Bros. and Heyday Films made one of the most consequential casting announcements in movie history: three unknown British children. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson had been chosen to play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
A Search That Took Almost a Year
Casting Philosopher’s Stone was never going to be simple. J.K. Rowling had set one condition that shaped the entire search: every member of the young cast had to be British. That rule alone eliminated plenty of promising options. Reportedly, the only American ever screen-tested for Harry was child actor Liam Aiken, who had worked with director Chris Columbus before, and the rule was so firm that even Robin Williams was turned away from playing Hagrid for the same reason.
By the time casting director Janet Hirshenson joined the production, a previous casting director had already spent about a year on the search, and the shortlists for Ron and Hermione were narrowing down, but Harry himself remained elusive.
Three Very Different Roads to Hogwarts
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) wasn’t found through a traditional audition at all. Producer David Heyman had already had his eye on the young actor after seeing him in the BBC’s 1999 adaptation of David Copperfield, and Chris Columbus reportedly reacted to that footage with total conviction that he’d found his Harry. The trouble was that Radcliffe’s parents initially turned down the idea. Only months later, in the summer of 2000, did things fall into place: Heyman and screenwriter Steve Kloves happened to be seated near Radcliffe at a West End theatre performance, and that chance encounter reopened the conversation with his family.
Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) took the opposite approach, he made sure he couldn’t be ignored. Instead of a conventional audition tape, the ten-year-old sent in a home-made video of himself performing a rap about how badly he wanted the part, reportedly filmed while wearing a dress borrowed from his drama teacher. It worked: casting director Hirshenson has said the production knew almost immediately that his face was simply right for Ron.
Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) was, by her own account, mostly in the right place at the right time. The production’s talent search visited her school in Oxfordshire, she took part, and her natural performance did the rest, no professional acting experience required.
By August 2000, the production had its trio, and the announcement went out to the world.
The Announcement: 21 August 2000
On that Monday, Warner Bros. confirmed to press outlets around the world that the search was over. The formal announcement named all three leads together for the first time, confirmed that filming would take place at Leavesden Studios outside London, and situated the news within the enormous cultural moment the books were already having: Philosopher’s Stone had been a publishing sensation for three years by then, and Goblet of Fire was due out that summer, so the hunt for the on-screen Harry, Ron and Hermione had been closely watched by fans and journalists alike.
Read the press release
Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint And Emma Watson Bring Harry, Ron And Hermione To Life For Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone” (August 21, 2000 – Burbank, CA) – ATTENTION ALL MUGGLES! Director Chris Columbus and producer David Heyman have discovered their Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger from the thousands of children who cast their names into the hat to play the roles. Young actor Daniel Radcliffe will be the film’s Harry, with newcomers Rupert Grint and Emma Watson taking on the roles of Ron and Hermione, Harry’s best friends at Hogwarts, in Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming adaptation of the first in the best-selling series of Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, President, Worldwide Theatrical Production, Warner Bros. Pictures, made the announcement today. “We searched through all Muggle and Wizard households to find just the right young people to play Harry, Ron and Hermione and we have found them in Dan, Rupert and Emma,” di Bonaventura said. “These are magical roles, the kind that come around once in a lifetime, and they required talented children who can bring magic to the screen.” “We saw so many enormously talented kids in the search for Harry,” said Columbus. “The process was intense and there were times when we felt we would never find an individual who embodied the complex spirit and depth of Harry Potter. Then, Dan walked into the room and we all knew we had found Harry. We were equally elated upon meeting Emma and Rupert who are perfect for the roles of Hermione and Ron. I couldn’t be happier to begin work with such talented, inspiring young actors.” Added David Heyman, “While we have been alternately amused and bemused by the rumors about what we’re doing, we are overjoyed to finally put them to rest. These are tremendously talented British kids who will bring so much to the film. We have always been and continue to be devoted to remaining true and faithful to the book.” Added J. K. Rowling, “Having seen Dan Radcliffe’s screen test, I don’t think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry. I wish Dan, Emma and Rupert the very best of luck and hope that they have as much fun acting the first year at Hogwarts as I had writing it.” Eleven year old Daniel Radcliffe recently portrayed young David in the BBC’s “David Copperfield” and will be seen later this year in the John Boorman film “The Tailor of Panama.” Ten year old Emma Watson and eleven year old Rupert Grint have both acted in school plays. Harry Potter is the central character in a series of books for children and adults alike that has swept the world. Written by British author J.K. Rowling, the books follow the exploits of a boy who learns on his eleventh birthday that he is the orphaned son of two powerful wizards and possesses unique magical powers of his own. He is summoned from his life as an unwanted foster child to become a student at Hogwarts, a boarding school for wizards. There, Harry meets a close circle of friends that becomes his new family. Ultimately, with their help, he takes on the powerful figure who was responsible for his parents’ death.
The Press Conference: A Few Days Later
Just two days after the announcement, on 23 August 2000, Radcliffe, Grint and Watson faced the press together for the first time as the official Hogwarts trio, at an event held in connection with Leavesden Studios. Cameras captured the three of them: Radcliffe visibly the youngest and shyest, Grint already cracking jokes, Watson poised beyond her eleven years, fielding questions about a series of books they’d grown up reading and a production none of them yet understood the true scale of.
It’s worth remembering just how ordinary these three still were at that point. None of them could have known that within eighteen months they’d be recognised worldwide, or that they’d still be filming together a decade later for Deathly Hallows. In archive interviews given not long after, a young Radcliffe recalled the process in his own words, describing how he’d sent in an application and a photo to be considered for the role in the first place.
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