One key role HBO’s “Harry Potter” hasn’t settled on yet is that of series antagonist Lord Voldemort, a key player in the entire saga who makes a brief appearance in the first season but won’t really show their true form until the fourth.
In the first book, the character appears in flashbacks to the night Harry’s parents died, and their face appears on the back of Quirrell’s head during the final confrontation of the film.
Ralph Fiennes famously played the role across the fourth through eighth films, with Ian Hart (who played Quirrell) providing the face and voice capture for the first film.
Now, scooper DanielRPK (via SFF Gazette) reports that the team on the TV series is trying for something different: “For the Harry Potter show, they’re auditioning both men and women for Voldemort, so it’s possible we could see a female Voldemort in the series.”
Such a change would allow for a distinctly different interpretation of the character, even as it will obviously raise eyebrows considering author J.K. Rowling’s vocal opinions about gender issues and the trans community.
Oscar winner Cillian Murphy ruled himself out of the running for the role, previously stating it’s “really hard to follow anything Ralph Fiennes does” and “good luck” to whoever is taking a shot.
