The Harry Potter TV series wrapped with a Thorpe Park takeover – but many of the young cast were reportedly too short to go on the rides.
Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter
The HBO show’s bosses reportedly spent “around £200,000” on the bash at the Surrey, South East England, theme park on Saturday (16.05.26), but it is said that the event disappointed those child stars who could not try out the white-knuckle thrills.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: “Harry Potter producers put on this huge party at Thorpe Park in Surrey.
“It cost them around £200,000 to close the place down and put on complimentary food and drinks. It was kept really tight in terms of invited guests.
“Only cast and crew who’d been on the production for more than 100 days were invited. Everyone was really excited about it because it felt so exclusive and cool.
“The young stars were there, but it became a running joke among some of the other guests that a theme park had been shut down for them, yet they couldn’t go on most of the rollercoasters because they didn’t meet the height requirements.”
However, it was the “adult cast and the crew” who got lucky as they could “go on the big rides, though, without any queues”.
The source continued: “The cost would have been massive to put this party on. There was free food and drink – absolutely everything was covered – and transport was put on to get everyone in and out.”
It was also claimed that guests were barred from asking Dominic McLaughlin (Harry), Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley), and Arabella Staunton (Hermione Granger) for selfies, as well as sharing “anything on social media”.
On Tuesday (19.05.26), Gracie Cochrane, who will be seen as Ginny Weasley in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when the show premieres in December, announced she will not return as Ron’s sister in season two, Chamber of Secrets.
The young actress’ family said in a statement: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, Gracie has made the challenging decision to step away from her role as Ginny Weasley in the HBO Harry Potter series after season one.
“Her time as part of the Harry Potter world has been truly wonderful, and she is deeply grateful to Lucy Bevan and the entire production team for creating such an unforgettable experience.
“Gracie is very excited about the opportunities her future holds.”
HBO is supportive of Gracie and her family’s choice.
They added: “We support Gracie Cochrane and her family’s decision not to return for the next season of HBO’s Harry Potter series, and we are grateful for her work on season one of the show.
“We wish Gracie and her family the best.”
John Lithgow (Albus Dumbledore), Nick Frost (Rubeus Hagrid), and Paapa Essiedu (Severus Snape) have also been cast in the Harry Potter TV series.
