Ralph Fiennes has weighed in on HBO’s Harry Potter reboot and says he knows exactly who should play Voldemort.
During an appearance on The Claudia Winkleman Show, Fiennes said he would have loved to return as the Dark Lord, but now believes that chance has passed.
Instead, he pointed to Tilda Swinton as his pick for the role, saying she “would be amazing.”
Ralph Fiennes says his Voldemort return won’t happen
Fiennes played Voldemort across the Harry Potter films and remains closely tied to the character, so his comments stand out.
He explained that he had previously said yes to returning if asked, but added that nothing ever came of it and now feels “that ship has sailed.”
Fiennes backs Tilda Swinton for Voldemort
While talking about HBO’s new Harry Potter series and the speculation over who might play Voldemort, Fiennes said Tilda Swinton has been mentioned as a contender and that she would be a great choice.
“I remember being asked the question once we’d shot the total film series, would I reprise the part, and this was some years ago. I said, ‘Yes, I’d love to,’” Fiennes said. “But then nothing’s happened, and I think that ship has sailed.”
The actor added, “But I’ll tell you, Tilda Swinton was mentioned somewhere as being a contender, and I think she would be amazing.”
Tilda Swinton joins the Voldemort rumor mill among massive Harry Potter backlash
Variety actually does say that Swinton’s name has already been floating around in the rumor cycle tied to the role, along with Cillian Murphy.
Nothing official has been announced by HBO, but Fiennes publicly backing Swinton is only going to add more fuel to the speculation.
With the reboot already under heavy fan scrutiny due to the Black Snape casting, which has resulted in over 300k dislikes on HBO’s YouTube, whoever lands Voldemort will be one of the biggest casting stories surrounding the series.
