Jamie Parker and Sam Clemmett on Cursed Child’s Potters

Jamie Parker and Sam Clemmett discuss the past and present of the Cursed Child’s Potter boys.

More from Culturess

• 8 Hanukkah books to help you celebrate the festival of lights
• Could Taylor Swift top the 2024 Fandoms of the Year list, too?
• Oppenheimer producer wanted Barbie release date moved
• Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends gets Season 3 premiere date
• Billie Eilish speaks out after she claims ‘Variety’ outed her at a red carpet event

Although the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is still quite determined to #KeepTheSecrets, as we inch closer to the script’s release date, it seems that we’re getting closer to understanding how the Cursed Child version of the Potters made the journey from proposal to performance.

In a recent interview with Time Out, Jamie Parker expands upon what it means to bear the title of “The Chosen One” as an adult.

"Harry is formerly a very, very famous teenage boy who’s been known alternatively as The Chosen One and The Boy Who Lived, this overtly messianic figure. But he’s never claimed or pretended to be a hero, he never coveted the extraordinary circumstances he was born into, he’s just an ordinary guy who’s tried to do the best he can."

Parker’s words, though hinting at a continued struggle for Harry, also bring about some optimism for a faithful portrayal of the character. In each book, Harry’s famed status becomes more of a burden for him than a blessing. Because of it, depending on what was going on, Harry assumed the roles of social pariah and the face of a revolution at different points in his life. His happiness has indeed been, “hard-won” to use Jamie Parker’s own phrasing. Parker understands the toll it would take on his character.

Harry’s relationships, in particular, seem key to who exactly he has become. “We’re not giving anything away in the plot to say that the relationship between Albus and Harry is a large part of the meal that we’re giving people,” said Parker. Soon, fans may finally be able to understand the tense looks on the Potters faces in promotional pictures.

That hint reminds us Harry isn’t the only Potter anymore, just like J.K. Rowling isn’t the only writer involved in the Cursed Child. Our new protagonist, Sam Clemmett as Albus Severus, has formed his own story to add depth to a fresh performance. Although the events of Cursed Child surely shape the son of The Boy Who Lived, Clemmett shows an interest in knowing his character outside the events of the play. He explains to Time Out how he and costar Anthony Boyle, actor for Scorpius Malfoy, prepared for their roles.

"We would pick a particular event that would have happened between birth and the present day, thinking what that event might be, adding flesh to those bones, and it was a really exciting journey for us."

Both Potter boys seem truly invested in giving the audience a worthwhile show. Whatever happens, it appears that neither actor is taking his new mantle lightly.

Next: Evanna Lynch and Katie Leung sorted into Ilvermorny

The closer we get to understanding the new Potter family, the more curious I become about Harry’s other children. Only time will tell if Lily Luna or James Sirius will play a part in the upcoming story. The next few weeks waiting for the script will certainly be exciting.