Harry Potter: How Old Are Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe at the Beginning and End?

On September 8, 2024, an open casting call was announced for the new HBO original series adaptation of Harry Potter. The call was for actors aged between 9 and 11 on April 2025 from among the residents of the UK and Ireland. The announcement reiterated that the series will be a faithful adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s books, like the films before.

The films also looked for age-appropriate actors for the roles of Harry Potter and his friends. They considered some talents like Tom Felton, who was a couple of years older than his character Draco Malfoy. Interestingly, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe, and Rupert Grint—the main trio—were each born a year apart.

Emma Watson’s Age At The Beginning And End Of Harry Potter

When filming began on the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Emma Watson was the youngest actor among the three main cast. Born on April 15, 1990, Watson was just 10 years old at the time. She attended the audition when she was just nine and had to audition a total of eight times before getting the role.

Interestingly, J.K. Rowling supported her casting after her first screen test. Although Watson was younger than her character Hermione Granger, she was able to portray the most rational member of the trio pretty easily. When the film was released on November 16, 2001, in the United States, Watson was 11.

The final film was shot back-to-back with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 from February 19, 2009, to June 12, 2010. When the final two films began filming, Watson was 18 years old which was a year older than her character. She was 20 when the first part was released in theaters. By the time Watson’s eighth and final film hit theaters, she was 21 years old.

Emma Watson’s age when she appeared in each Harry Potter film

The Deathly Hallows – Part 2 managed to gross $1.3 billion at the box office, making it the highest-grossing Harry Potter film. It also continues to be Emma Watson’s most commercially successful film. While Watson’s salary for each Harry Potter movie remains unknown, Cosmopolitan reported that she got paid a massive $30 million for the two-part finale.

Daniel Radcliffe’s Age At The Beginning And End Of Harry Potter

Daniel Radcliffe was born on July 23, 1989, making him 11 years old when the filming of The Sorcerer’s Stone began in September 2000. Radcliffe was 12 when the film hit theaters. Harry Potter and Radcliffe were both 11 when the birthday scenes were shot in the film.

He was the only actor among the main three, who had already made his acting and feature film debut. Radcliffe first appeared in the two-part BBC TV serial David Copperfield and later starred alongside Pierce Brosnan in the 2001 film, The Tailor of Panama. It was producer David Heyman who asked him to audition for the titular role after seeing him at the theater.

When the filming began for the two-part finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Radcliffe was 19 years old. He was 21 when both of the films hit theaters. He turned 22 a few days after the second part was released in theaters in July. Three other films including The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Order of the Phoenix, and The Half-Blood Prince were also released a few days before his 15th, 18th, and 20th birthdays respectively.

Daniel Radcliff’s age when she appeared in each Harry Potter film

The Order of the Phoenix was the first film where Radcliffe was not the same age as Harry Potter. While Harry was supposed to be 15 in the movie, Radcliffe was 16 for the first six months of filming and 17 for the final four. The age difference progressively increased in the next few films.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Guns Akimbo star made $1 million for his very first Harry Potter film. He was reportedly paid $50 million for his role in the final two films, with a base pay of $33 million. His total earnings were $109 million and Cosmopolitan calculated that he took home $95.6 million from the franchise.

Daniel Radcliffe’s salary in the Harry Potter films

Daniel Radcliffe was the highest-paid actor in the franchise, which is not surprising considering he played the titular character. However, his $1 million is surprising considering Daisy Ridley’s first Star Wars movie salary was between $100,000 to $300,000 (via Esquire).

The Ages Of Other Actors At The Beginning and End Of Harry Potter

Rupert Grint was the oldest among the main three actors, as he turned 12 a month before the filming of the first film. He was a year older than his character in the first film and the age difference progressed throughout the series. Tom Felton was older than Grint when filming began as he turned 13 in September 2000. He was 23 when the last film hit theaters.

Matthew Lewis, who played Neville Longbottom, was the right age for his character in the first film. Bonnie Wright, who made a brief appearance in the first film, was 9 at the time and was only 20 when the film series wrapped up. Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith were much older than their characters during the first film itself.

While the ages of the cast members were almost the same as that of the characters initially, the filmmakers found it difficult to maintain the ages as each film progressed. This is considering that the films were made on a 12-month cycle initially and later on an 18-month cycle. Maintaining the age continuity will be the biggest challenge for the upcoming HBO series.

The Harry Potter franchise is now available for streaming on Max.