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| Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout are reportedly set to receive a combined £500,000 for the first season of HBO’s Harry Potter series. |
With the highly anticipated HBO "Harry Potter" series gearing up for its premiere, a new report has revealed the eye-watering salaries the series' young stars are set to earn. According to an anonymous insider source cited by The Sun, the three lead actors—newcomers Dominic McLaughlin (Harry), Arabella Stanton (Hermione), and Alastair Stout (Ron)—are reportedly set to receive a combined £500,000 for the first season. That would put their individual pay at around £60,000 per episode each. For young actors in a new series, that is a considerable sum. A source told the publication, "This is a whopping payday for three kids who haven't even hit their teenage years yet - and it's just the beginning".
The trio beat out more than 32,000 hopefuls in an open casting call, a decision that will now make them some of the highest-paid child actors on television.
A Hefty Payday for a Debut Season
To put the rumored salary into perspective, the pay for the new Harry Potter stars is significantly higher than what the young cast of other hit series earned during their first seasons. According to Deadline, Netflix paid the young lead actors of "Stranger Things" around $30,000 per episode during the first two seasons. Adjusted for current exchange rates, that would be roughly £22,500 per episode today. The fact that the alleged "Harry Potter" salaries are well above that is likely due mainly to the franchise’s expected appeal.
Another comparison helps put the figure into perspective. According to Celebrity Net Worth, "Young Sheldon" actor Iain Armitage earned $30,000 per episode in season 1. Since those episodes typically ran for only around 20 minutes, that put him in a similar range. Here, too, the pay was likely tied to the project’s strong commercial potential, especially given that the series launched as a direct prequel to one of the most successful US sitcoms of its era.
The Original Trio's Fortune
Even if the three young actors playing Harry, Ron and Hermione do indeed receive around £60,000 per episode, they would still be far below what Daniel Radcliffe earned for the first "Harry Potter" film. According to ScreenRant, Radcliffe was already paid $1 million for "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone" back in 2001. His salary tripled to $3 million for the second film, and by the final two installments, he was earning a combined $50 million.
While the pay gap is significant, the comparison is hardly an objective one. These are, after all, film and TV contracts from very different eras. There is also a difference in the role structure of the project: Daniel Radcliffe was the sole title star of the original film, whereas the series is built around a trio.
You can read the original report detailing these figures on The Sun's website.
A Costly Reboot
The child stars' salaries are just one part of a very expensive production. The "Harry Potter" series is reportedly one of the most expensive television shows ever made, with estimates suggesting a budget of up to $100 million per episode. With the first season set to consist of eight episodes, the total cost could reach a staggering $800 million.
HBO has spared no expense in recreating the magical world, building elaborate sets at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the UK, the same studio where the original films were produced. The adult cast, including John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, and Paapa Essiedu as Professor Snape, are also expected to command substantial salaries, likely far exceeding those of their younger co-stars.
What's Next for the Series
The "Harry Potter" series is currently in production and is slated to premiere on HBO and Max in Christmas 2026, an earlier-than-expected release window. The show is being developed as a "faithful adaptation" of J.K. Rowling's original seven books, with each season covering one novel. This long-term commitment suggests the young actors could indeed be on track to become multi-millionaires before they turn 18, as the source suggested.
The series will be led by showrunner Francesca Gardiner, an Emmy winner known for her work on HBO's "Succession," and directed by Mark Mylod. J.K. Rowling is also involved as an executive producer, ensuring the new adaptation remains true to the source material.
Even so, the child actors would by no means be underpaid if the rumored figures are accurate – and if HBO's "Harry Potter" series is a success in its first season, it is reasonable to assume that their pay will rise even further in the future.