Nick Frost opens up about becoming the new Hagrid in ‘Harry Potter’ series

Nick Frost has revealed he felt like he had “won the lottery” after being cast as Hagrid in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter television series.

The 54-year-old actor is set to play the beloved Hogwarts groundskeeper in the new adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world and admitted he found it impossible to hide his excitement over landing the role.

Speaking to The Sunday Times’ Culture magazine, Nick recalled the moment he realised he would be playing the iconic character.

“I’d be going to the bathroom at night and come back to bed and find myself suddenly going, ‘You’re f***ing Hagrid!’” he said. “I felt like I’d won the lottery.”

The Hot Fuzz star also revealed he tried to manifest the role before being cast by repeatedly writing the character’s name thousands of times.

However, he joked that his dyslexia caused an unexpected problem during the process.

“Though strictly speaking the last 2,000 of them I wrote the word ‘Hadrig’. I’ve got dyslexia. I didn’t notice that I wasn’t writing ‘Hagrid’ any more,” he admitted.

Nick is taking over the role previously played by the late Robbie Coltrane in the Harry Potter film series and said he wants to honour the actor’s memorable performance while creating his own interpretation.

“I’ve tried to take what Robbie did and honour that,” he explained, adding that the television format gives him more opportunity to explore the character.

“Robbie had two and a half [hours], while I’ve got eight hours here each series — there has to be a bit more to him.”

The actor also acknowledged that some fans may struggle with seeing a different actor portray such a beloved character.

“Some people won’t like it. They’ll go, ‘Not my Hagrid.’ And that is all right,” he said.

Nick also addressed the wider conversations surrounding the Harry Potter franchise and criticism faced by author J.K. Rowling over her views on gender issues, explaining that he is focused on his own work.

“I can’t control all that stuff. I only know what I feel, and I don’t really have to justify it to anyone,” he said.

For his portrayal of Hagrid, Nick said he drew inspiration from his uncle Emy, who he described as someone who “never grew up” after becoming ill as a child, as well as Michael Clarke Duncan’s character John Coffey from The Green Mile.

He described Coffey as a character who was “huge, violent but childlike” and said that helped shape his understanding of Hagrid’s personality.

Despite his new commitment to the Harry Potter series, Nick said he still hopes to reunite with longtime collaborators Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, insisting he will have time for future projects.

“I’ve got every summer off for the next eight years, so I’ve definitely got ten weeks,” he said.