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Harry Potter's Miriam Margolyes says grown up fans "should be over it by now"

11 March 2024, 19:39

A new Harry Potter series is coming to HBO Max

By Katie Louise Smith

"It was 25 years ago, and it’s for children. I think it’s for children. But they get stuck in it."

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It's been 23 years since the release of the first Harry Potter film and 13 years since the release of the last one... The fandom and the love for the franchise has never died down, but one of its stars has now said that adult fans should be "over it" by now.

Miriam Margolyes, who is known for her candid, hold-nothing-back opinions about all sorts of things, played the beloved Professor Sprout in the film series. She has now spoken frankly about how she feels about adult Harry Potter fans.

"I worry about Harry Potter fans," the 82-year-old actress told New Zealand's 1News, adding: "They should be over that by now."

Harry Potter actress Miriam Margolyes says grown up fans should be "over it" by now. Picture: Simon Schluter/Fairfax Media via Getty Images via Getty Images, Warner Bros. Pictures

She continued: "You know, I mean, it was 25 years ago, and it’s for children. I think it’s for children. But they get stuck in it."

Speaking about the messages she is asked to deliver on Cameo, Miriam shared that she gets messages from Harry Potter fans who theme their weddings around the franchise.

"And I think 'Gosh, what’s their first night of fun going to be'? I can’t even think about it," she added.

Having said all that, Miriam does still hold her experience working on the films close to her heart: "Harry Potter is wonderful. I’m very grateful to it… [but] it’s over."

Miriam's comments have split opinion on social media. One fan wrote: "Life is already hard enough, let people enjoy the things that brought them joy in their childhood in peace."

Another simply said: "She's not wrong."

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It's not the first time Miriam has shared her true feelings about Harry Potter either. In a recent interview with British Vogue, she explained that her involvement in the film franchise was not that major for her.

"For me Harry Potter wasn’t important," she explained. "I was very glad I got the part and I enjoyed being in it and meeting all the people, but it’s not Charles Dickens."

In a Cameo message shared a few years ago, she also admitted that she wasn't a Harry Potter fan: "I’m not against it, I’m just not interested. I’ve never seen a film. I’ve never seen the books, I’ve never read them. I just pocket the money when it comes and I’m very grateful for it."