6 crore salary for new Harry Potter actor vs Daniel Radcliffe’s first film earning: How much difference? Paycheck breakdown

A fresh set of young actors is getting ready to enter the world of Hogwarts, and even before the show arrives, the conversation has already shifted to something else, the money they are being paid. The upcoming Harry Potter TV series, which is being developed for HBO Max, is expected to retell the story across multiple seasons. And with that, the pay scale for its young leads has come into focus.

As per reports, Dominic McLaughlin, who will play Harry Potter, is said to be earning £500,000 for the first season. That roughly comes to around Rs 6 crore. The same amount is reportedly being paid to Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton, who are stepping into the roles of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

A source told The Sun, “This is a whopping payday for three kids who haven’t even hit their teenage years yet — and it’s just the beginning. They’re being paid £500,000 for the first series. If they keep this up, they’re on track to be multi-millionaires before they turn 18.”


The three actors were selected after a long casting process that reportedly saw more than 32,000 children auditioning for the parts. The series is planned to run for seven seasons, each based on one of the books written by J.K. Rowling.

Higher than original co-stars, but lower than Daniel Radcliffe

If one compares this with the original films, the difference in pay is quite noticeable. Daniel Radcliffe was paid £1 million for the first film back in 2001, which is still higher than what the new lead is reportedly earning now.

However, the new actors playing Ron and Hermione appear to be getting a better deal than Rupert Grint and Emma Watson did at the start. Back then, both were relatively unknown and reportedly earned around £175,000 each for the first movie.

Over time, of course, things changed. Radcliffe eventually earned tens of millions per film, with estimates suggesting he made around £94 million from the entire franchise.

Big future earnings likely if series succeeds

What is also being talked about is how this is just the starting point. With multiple seasons planned, the total earnings for the young cast could grow significantly. If all seven seasons are completed, reports suggest each of the three actors could easily cross £3 million before they even turn adults.

There is also the per-episode breakdown doing the rounds, which suggests the actors may be earning over £60,000 per episode for the first season itself.

The show has already generated strong interest online. The first trailer, which gives a short look at the new cast and the setting, reportedly became the most-watched trailer in HBO’s history within 48 hours, crossing 277 million views.

The series also features actors like John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid, and Paapa Essiedu as Snape.