Tom Felton Is Excited For The Harry Potter TV Show, Too

Standing inside a recreation of Ollivanders wand shop, actor Tom Felton is naturally drawn to one of the many replica wands for sale — a version of the prop he wielded as Draco Malfoy, the snarly antagonist he embodied for eight Harry Potter films and almost all of his formative years.

“Anytime I put that [wand] in my hand, it feels like my childhood, really,” Felton tells Bustle at the new Harry Potter Shop in Chicago, which opened on April 10. “It's just a bit like stepping back into time.”

Felton’s not the only one who’s nostalgic for Hogwarts. In the 14 years since the final film premiered, the fandom’s fervor has yet to diminish — and the Wizarding World has continued to grow. The franchise has released an award-winning play and a trio of Fantastic Beasts, and now, a highly anticipated TV reboot of the series is in the works at HBO. And that’s not to mention the theme parks, merch, and brand extensions like this new shop (the third of its kind, with locations already open in New York City and London’s Kings Cross station).

“We didn't expect it to just expand, expand, expand,” he says. “Now there are three or four or five generations of Potterheads that all are equally enthusiastic.”

Below, Felton talks about filming the movies, staying in touch with the Harry Potter cast, and how he wants to be involved in HBO’s reboot.

Earlier, you mentioned bringing home Slytherin swag from the shop. Was there anything you kept from the set?

I think I may have pinched one of Draco's ties. The wands, broomsticks and everything was kept more or less in a vault. As soon as they said, “Cut!” they would take them off our hands, which I'm glad about because they're all kept preciously at the London Studio Tour.

You played Draco, who’s famously a Slytherin. But have you ever taken a Hogwarts House quiz yourself?

Of course, I was very nervous. I'll preface the story by saying my three older brothers did it first, they all got Hufflepuff — you can imagine that's quite upsetting for me. But miraculously, I got Slytherin.

Tell me about your favorite or most heartwarming fan encounters.

One of my favorite ones was last time I was at the London Studio Tour. Seeing these kids' faces light up when they saw the Great Hall for the first time, it reminded me of what I was like when I was 11 years old, walking [on set] for the first time.

That also makes me curious if you ever had any embarrassing moments with fans.

I've been quite lucky — other than having “Stop being mean to Harry!” shouted at me a few times, or people thinking that I'm as unpleasant as Draco, especially when I had the blond hair.

Looking back, is there a Draco moment that you either love to rewatch, or just have a really fond memory of filming?

I haven't yet really [rewatched it]. They're always on at Christmas, though. My friends send me videos of my younger self; they're taking the mickey. Obviously, I love the dueling scene in Chamber of Secrets because it was the first time that we were allowed to do stunts. We had wires wrapped around us, doing spells. I always look back at that as my first action scene, my early attempt at a James Bond audition.

Do you still keep in touch with the Harry Potter cast?

Yeah. We're all friends. At least I am with everyone. We speak quite regularly. I golf with the Weasley twins [James and Oliver Phelps]. Matt [Lewis, who played Neville] and I are very close, and I saw him and Daniel [Radcliffe] not so long ago. We're all growing up. Rupert [Grint] has his little one now, so it's fun to meet her.

Jason Isaacs, who played your on-screen dad, Lucius Malfoy, was just in The White Lotus. Have you watched it?

Actually, I finished it yesterday.

What did you think?

He was great. The last time I saw him was a week or two before he went to Thailand to shoot it. He was excited, as was I. It was cool to see him in something different. Very un-Malfoy-esque, gorgeous tan and no blond hair.

I thought he was a little bit like Lucius in the sense where he's this dad who's under a lot of pressure.

Yes, it's a muggle version. But yeah, I thought he was brilliant.

Speaking of HBO, they’re rebooting Harry Potter as a TV series. What are your thoughts on that?

I think it's fantastic. I also have heard — I don't know this for a fact — but they might be filming it in the same studios as we filmed it, which means that I will hopefully, inevitably get to knock on a dressing room door that says “Draco” and surprise the new kid who's doing it.

What advice would you give the new kid?

Just have fun. Take pictures, steal more props. I'm joking, but I'm sure whoever they pick will be the one down for the job.

If they asked you to return—

I did try to [audition] for Hermione, but they wouldn't budge on that one. So, I will definitely be a background extra at the very least. At some point, I'll wedge my way in there, if I can.

Some fans would like to see you return as Lucius Malfoy.

That's a cool idea. Yeah, I'm not opposed to that at all. Any chance to be part of the Wizarding World is a good one.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.