I'd argue that a lot of the magic that emanates from the Harry Potter movies is due to the stellar cast. British veteran actors brought J.K. Rowling’s characters to life in stunning fashion for the big screen, which made them all the more memorable to fans. As the years go on, franchise alums share insight into their work on the blockbuster series. Now, I’m laughing at Jason Isaacs’ story about how some of those actual Oscar winners sat around bored while Voldemort delivered those lengthy monologues.

To call the Harry Potter cast talented would be an understatement, as Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and more all either won or were nominated for Oscars before joining the fantasy franchise. So, you can imagine what a riot I had when hearing Isaacs speak at Liverpool Comic Con 2024 and share his recollection of seeing Fiennes as Voldemort performing his soliloquies. I would've found it compelling but, apparently, it was a different story, as Isaacs explained:

The idea of Jason Isaacs wondering how much longer Ralph Fiennes was going to go on with Voldemort’s famed speeches is hilarious. On that same token, I guess this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as the Peter Pan actor previously spoke about the Harry Potter movies being “boring” to make due to how special effects-heavy they were. Still, I never considered how Voldemort’s monologues could contribute to the long hours on set.

Still, it's hard to deny that Voldemort knew how to make an entrance. With the Harry Potter antagonist being the ultimate evil of the series, of course, he was going to boast about “killing” The Boy Who Lived and try to gain new followers. Fiennes -- a Royal National Theatre alum and Tony winner -- also owned the role. Nevertheless, as Isaacs further stressed, Fiennes' Academy Award-winning co-stars were just tired after a while:

I'm suddenly getting mental images of people on set looking at their watches. Just think of the frustration of waiting for your cue, just so you can say your three lines and call it a day. I'd say one big thing to pick up from this story is that even Oscar winners and veteran actors can get impatient while on set. And, honestly, I love how relatable that is.

Make no mistake, though, as the stars didn't take issue with Ralph Fiennes' actual performance, which continues to receive praise to this day. It's because of the high standard set by Fiennes that the next actor to play Voldemort will have some big shoes to fill. And I wonder if his eventual co-stars will have the same level of patience that Jason Isaacs and co. had for Fiennes.

If you want to revisit Voldemort’s famed monologues, the Harry Potter movies are available for streaming with an HBO Max subscription or a Peacock subscription.

HBO's upcoming Harry Potter series is set to arrive later this year and, as fans wait for its arrival amid the 2026 TV schedule, many have been discussing the new cast members. Among that fresh ensemble is Lox Pratt, who's taking on the role of Draco Malfoy in the new adaptation of The Philosopher's Stone. In an exciting turn of events, Pratt was actually able to meet up with a Wizarding World icon in Jason Isaacs, who originated the role of Lucius Malfoy. And, luckily for us, there's a sweet photo of the magical meet-up.

The two Malfoy actors took a picture while attending the BAFTA TV Awards, and the photo is just as delightful as someone might assume. Take a look:

It was kind of Isaacs to make time for the young actor. What's more is that the veteran actor pays Pratt such a compliment him by saying he and former co-star Tom Felton will enjoy seeing him carry on the "family" name of Malfoy when the Potter show debuts for HBO Max subscription holders this Christmas.

I can only imagine what seeing Jason Isaacs kind words meant to Lox Pratt, and this meeting comes as Draco star Tom Felton reprises that role in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Considering the scrutiny these newer actors are going to face when the show premieres, it would be lovely for the younger stars to have the support from franchise veterans who understand the pressure that comes along with being a part of such a big franchise.

I've been especially impressed with Lox Pratt's professionalism and the thoughtful responses he's given about the Harry Potter series thus far. He seems like an actor who isn't taking a second of this opportunity for granted and is eager to put his own stamp on one of the Wizarding World's most complicated characters.

Pratt won't just have to navigate being the rival to Harry Potter, he'll also have to work on creating a great dynamic with his fictional father, played by Johnny Flynn. Then again, as Jason Isaacs previously noted when discussing the Malfoy patriarch, Lucius' job in the story was to explain why Draco was such an awful person. His general coldness and indifference to his son, rather than a loving relationship, was the key to it all.

All this to say, I think fans are eager to see how all these characters are portrayed and how they differ from the film adaptations. I'm admittedly still wrestling with the notion of seeing someone else besides Daniel Radcliffe draw buzz for playing Harry Potter. Still, I'm confident in this young cast, and I'm hopeful that even more franchise alums will take a page out of Jason Isaacs' book and show some love for the reboot's actors.

Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone hits HBO and HBO Max on Christmas Day, December 25th. I wonder how many people will pause from their holiday activities to watch and if this series will end up being as big as everyone assumes it will be.

Considering that the Tomb Raider video game franchise owes its origins to Indiana Jones, there are few video game characters quite as well-suited to an onscreen adaptation as Lara Croft. We’ve seen the adventuring woman in big-screen films and animated series, but now the upcoming live-action Tomb Raider series is coming together as nearly a dozen roles have been cast for the show, including a pair of heavyweights in Sigourney Weaver and Jason Isaacs.

The upcoming Tom Riader series is written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and will star Sophie Turner in the lead role as Lara Croft. Up to now, hers was the only role that had been cast, but today several new additions were announced, including a few that will be recognizable to fans from the game. The descriptions of the characters come from Variety.

• Sigourney Weaver - Evelyn Wallis, “a mysterious, high-flying woman who is keen to exploit Lara’s talents”
• Jason Isaacs - Atlas Demorney, Lara’s uncle
• Bill Paterson - Winston, Lara’s Butler
• Martin Bobb-Semple - Zip, Lara’s Tech Support and Friend
• Celia Imrie - Francine, the head of advancement at the British Museum
• Jack Bannon - Gerry, Lara’s personal pilot and snack collector
• John Heffernan - David, an exhausted government official who finds himself tangled up in Lara’s unusual world.
• Paterson Joseph - Thomas Warner, “a senior government official brought in to clean up an almighty mess.”
• Sasha Luss - Sasha, “a fierce, deeply competitive new adversary of Lara’s.”
• Juliette Motamed - Georgia, “a devoted, by-the-books curator at the British Museum, dedicated to the ‘proper’ preservation of history.”
• August Wittgenstein - Lukas, “an illegal raider who shares history with Lara in more ways than one.”

As somebody who has generally enjoyed playing Tomb Raider video games and watching the various adaptations, I’m always interested in what a new take on the material would bring. Every step of the princess has made this particular project especially intriguing, from bringing in Phoebe Waller-Bridge as co-showrunner and writer to the casting of Sophie Turner; every choice hasn’t necessarily been the most obvious, but that’s what makes it interesting.

Game fans will recognize some of the characters listed here, like Winston, Lara’s Butler, who players would routinely lock in the freezer (iykyk), and Lara’s uncle, who is usually portrayed as a less-than-loving family member, making it just the sort of role we’d expect from Jason Isaacs.

The most interesting character, however, is the one being played by Sigourney Weaver. The word “exploit” being used would seem to indicate that she’s not playing one of the “good guys” either, but time will tell. Weaver has certainly played her share of villains, though she's generally the good guy, so we'll have to wait and see how this character shakes out.

The casting of so many characters that aren’t previously known would seem to confirm what had been previously rumored; that this series, which will be available with a Prime Video subscription, will be a fresh take on the material, rather than an adaptation of a previous game. It’s yet another decision that has the potential to make the show truly unique, and I, for one, can’t wait to see it.

The Wizarding World is one of the biggest franchises out there, in no small part due to the Harry Potter movies. Those eight films, which are streaming with a HBO Max subscription, continue to be re-watched today, with many of the Harry Potter actors remaining synonymous with their roles. While Jason Isaacs famously played Lucius Malfoy, it turns out that's not the role that fans recognize him for. Consider my mind blown.

The Potter films are some of the most famous book to screen adaptations ever, and Isaacs played the patriarch of the Malfoy family for five of the seven movies. During an interview with Deadline, he was asked if Lucius is the role that fans stop him on the streets about. But that's actually not the case at all, as the Operation Mincemeat actor shared:

Points were made. Despite how well-known his portrayal of Lucius Malfoy was in the Harry Potter movies, the costume design has helped him keep some anonymity in the years that followed. Without the character's long blonde wig and black robes, Isaacs doesn't actually resemble him all that much. And if the star of The OA also grows out his facial hair, he looks even more distinct from his Wizarding World counterpart.

Actor Johnny Flynn is taking on the role of Lucius in the forthcoming Harry Potter TV show, although it sounds like he won't have to worry about getting stopped by fans. At least, until he starts rocking the character's long wig IRL.

It's hard to believe that the generations of Potterheads don't stop Jason Isaacs on the street, but it turns out that he's recognized for a number of other projects on his long resume. And he enjoys seeing what movies fans name, as he told it:

That is pretty fun. While Isaacs isn't hounded by the paparazzi like other actors, it sounds like he has fan interactions regularly. And he seems to like guessing which of his projects they know based on the person coming up to him. Now I wish I could see one of these interactions go down.

Later in the same conversation, Isaacs mentioned more roles that folks frequently recognize him from. As he shared:

Obviously Star Trek fans are super passionate, so it shouldn't be a surprise that fans talk to him about his tenure in Star Trek: Discovery (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription). And of course, The White Lotus was insanely popular as Season 3 was airing on HBO.

Jason Isaacs' tenure in the Harry Potter franchise is streaming now on HBO Max, which will also be the home of the forthcoming TV show. As for the 62 year-old actor, he's attached to a number of projects coming as part of the 2026 movie release list and beyond.

There are lots of popular movie franchises, but few have the reach and audience of The Wizarding World. The Harry Potter movies (which are streaming with a HBO Max subscription) continue to be re-watched all these years later, and the franchise has also expanded to theme parks, video games, and stage plays. The latter came courtesy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Tom Felton recently debuted as Draco Malfoy on Broadway, reprising the role he played in the films. His screen father Jason Isaacs went to see him, and there are photos to prove it.

Potter fans freaked out when it was announced that Tom Felton would be playing Draco on stage, this time as an adult with kids in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Fans have been curious about which Harry Potter stars will head to the Great White Way to support him, and Isaacs was one of the first. Check out their photos together, courtesy of the 62 year-old actor's Instagram.

How sweet is that? Isaacs regularly gushes about Tom Felton, so it's not too surprising that he headed to Broadway to support his onscreen son's return to Draco Malfoy. And the photos are adorable enough to get even the most hardcore Slytherin feeling the love. Talk about a proud Dad moment.

Isaacs posted the above photo dump to his 1 million followers on Instagram. He took a number of pictures with Felton, both in costume and out. There's a ton of love between these two actors, and their relationship has lasted the test of time post-Potter movies. It really looks like they were able to form a life-long bond.

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is set after during the original franchise's epilogue, where our young heroes are adults with kids. The story is largely focused on Harry's son Albus and Draco's son Scorpius becoming close friends and going on a multiversal adventure through the Wizarding World. Along the way lots of beloved characters appearing including adult Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and more.

Ever since the stage play was released, fans have wondered if/when we might get a Cursed Child movie starring the original cast. Some of the actors have expressed interest in reprising their roles, and while Felton originally put doubt on that ever happening, he's one step closer thanks to playing Draco on Broadway.

Of course, there's been no indication that Warner Bros. is developing a film adaptation of Cursed Child. Instead, the franchise is pivoting to the small screen thanks to the Harry Potter TV show. Season 1 is filming now, and fans are hyped for the book to screen adaptation to include all the things that were cut from the movies.

The Wizarding World movies are streaming on HBO Max and Tom Felton can be seen in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child through May 10th. I'm just gonna cross my fingers that a movie version happens eventually.

There are popular franchises, but the Wizarding World is on another level entirely. The Harry Potter movies made J.K. Rowling's novels even more popular, and its expanded to spinoffs, theme parks, stage plays, video games, and more. A new book to screen adaptation is coming with the forthcoming Harry Potter TV show, which is filming now. It looks like my one of my favorite villains is being introduced early this time around: Lucius Malfoy.

What we know about the Harry Potter TV show changes day to day, thanks to news trickling out as Season 1 films. Actor Johnny Flynn has been cast as Lucius, taking on the role from Jason Isaacs. But in both the novels and movies he doesn't usually show up until the first sequel, The Chamber of Secrets. The actor spoke to The Standard about his experience so far, gushing:

While the elder Malfoy might be one of the biggest villains in Harry Potter, it sounds like Flynn is feeling more like a kid in a candy store. I've always been fascinated by Draco's family, so I'm hyped about Lucius seemingly getting introduced earlier in the forthcoming TV version. Bring on the twisted Death Eater family dynamic!

Flynn has some big shoes to fill, as Jason Isaacs famously played Lucius Malfoy to perfection throughout the movies, appearing in a total of five of the Warner Bros. blockbusters. But we should presumably have way more time with the character in the TV version, thanks to each book being told across a full season of episodes. He's always been a favorite of mine, so this is a very exciting concept.

News about the Harry Potter show has been slowly trickling out, leading to a ton of discourse from the generations of fans out there. Franchise director Chris Columbus criticized the show for having identical costumes to the movies, and each new casting announcement goes viral. There's also plenty of positive buzz involved, including Jon Lithgow playing Albus Dumbledore.

Hardcore fans of the Potter books out there are intrigued by the TV version, as it should presumably be a more faithful adaptation. Trying to fit each of the long books into a movie length of time meant that plenty of content needed to be left on the cutting room floor, including entire characters and plot lines.

The Harry Potter franchise is streaming in its entirety on HBO Max, which will also be the home of the TV show. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a while for the latter as it's not expected to be released until 2027.

It may have been 15 years since the Harry Potter movies concluded (which are streaming with a Peacock subscription or HBO Max subscription). But it doesn’t mean that Tom Felton has left The Wizarding World, as he'll soon reprise his famed Draco Malfoy role for Broadway. The British actor has a big fan in the form of his Malfoy daddy Jason Isaacs, who’s gushing over his Harry Potter son’s return as Draco, and I’m totally stanning.

Jason Isaacs has played dads before, like in White Lotus, Peter Pan, Mass, and many other works. But we can’t forget when he played Draco Malfoy’s villainous daddy in the Harry Potter franchise. Apparently, neither can the Liverpool native. On the Red Carpet Live show of the 2025 Emmy Awards, Isaacs gushed to People about his glowing support of his movie son returning as Draco for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. And declare me obsessed with his words:

That’s the sweetest thing! Compared to seeing Tom Felton as merely a co-star, it appears that Jason Isaacs has fatherly love for the English actor, like he would his own kids. Considering The Patriot actor is a girl dad to two daughters, it gives me all of the feels that he views his younger male co-stars as his “surrogate sons.” And like any father would for his son, having Isaacs “proud” of Felton’s new role and planning to see him return as Draco is icing on the cake.

It’s no secret that Draco and Lucius Malfoy’s relationship was complex. Like the Armageddon actor previously said, the Hogwarts baddie was “such a little shit” due to the Slytherin student being raised with “loveless parenting.” That's all the more reason why the final shot of the two was very heartwarming, of the Malfoys leaving the Hogwarts battle as a family.

But it’s nice to know the real-life bond between Felton and Isaacs is like a typical father-and-son bond. The Event Horizon actor sending Felton birthday wishes was practically perfect with his movie son wishing him the same on his special day. Plus, you can’t forget about when “father” reunited with Tom Felton at his 222: A Ghost Story show or Isaacs’ A+ reaction to the Harry Potter alum’s memoir. So, it’s no wonder that The OA actor will be there to see where his “son” is now in The Wizarding World.

I absolutely love seeing Jason Isaacs continuing to be a movie dad to Tom Felton with his anticipation to see him back as Draco on Broadway. As the MTV Movie Award recipient’s fitting for Cursed Child made him look like the spitting image of Lucius, I’m all the more curious about the A+ reaction Isaacs will have seeing his character's resemblance rise in Felton’s stage performance.

Join Jason Isaacs and see Tom Felton bring his wand “at the ready” once again with Cursed Child hitting Broadway starting November 11th.

With age comes wisdom, or at least the awareness of when to let a stunt double do a scene for you. Maybe it was studying the meaning of death on The White Lotus or just one too many injuries on the set, but Jason Isaacs is more than willing to let stunt professionals stand in for him in a way he wasn't in his younger years. Case in point, he had a really nasty spill while filming Harry Potter, and was knocked out while filming a scene.

Isaacs has talked a lot over the years about Lucius Malfoy and getting into the mind of the evil father of Draco. This included his scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in which Lucius attempts to attack Harry after he causes him to inadvertently free the House Elf Dobby. The elf launches the elder Malfoy clear across the hall, and as Isaacs revealed to Collider, that scene was particularly violent behind the scenes:

Jason Isaacs has nothing but love for Johnny Flynn, the next man to play Lucius Malfoy, and I bet he hopes Flynn won't make the same mistake when filming that scene. I watched the scene after reading about this, and it doesn't seem as though they used the take where he knocked himself out.

Jason Isaacs might be one of the few actors to file a workers' comp form with "CGI" being the reason for injury, and I'm sure he had plenty of thoughts about fan efforts to free Dobby when they visited the studio lot in 2015. I still can't get over the fact that he wasn't more seriously injured while filming that Chamber of Secrets scene considering how much airtime he caught from the stunt.

Dobby's attack on Lucius was fueled by years of pent-up rage, I'm sure, but it was also completely justified. As loyal Harry Potter fans likely know, Lucius Malfoy was about to unleash the killing curse on the child for costing him a House Elf. Isaacs later said the spell was uttered because he didn't know what else to say, and he's gotten all kinds of flak from fans since.

While Jason Isaacs has since deferred to stunt doubles for his action scenes, he hasn't stopped having injuries on the set. People reported that Isaacs ran into a door on a yacht while working on The White Lotus Season 3 and ended up knocking himself out. I'm beginning to think this is less of a stunt problem and maybe more of an Isaacs problem?

In any case, we love Jason Isaacs at CinemaBlend and hope he can be more careful on sets going forward. If I hear another story about him knocking himself unconscious while filming a scene for another project, I'm going to start to worry!

When talking about the 2000 war movie The Patriot, one has to admit it’s a period piece that isn’t boring. But in the same conversation, it should also be remembered that it’s also one of the many wildly inaccurate historical films out there. Jason Isaacs is humorously doing just that to the Roland Emmerich title by bringing Harry Potter into the mix.

Isaacs has been a regular of the 2025 movie calendar, along with his stint on White Lotus. But as he chatted with EW, two classics of his–The Patriot and Harry Potter–were the focal point of discussion. The 62-year-old wanted to re-iterate how fictitious the Isaacs, Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger flick is. Amusingly, he did so by highlighting that the JK Rowling series is closer to more historically on point than The Patriot itself:

You have got to love the Lucius Malfoy actor for his blunt honesty! I’d love to know the specificities of his statement, though. I’m assuming he means the accuracy of the book to movie adaptation? Either way, you can always rely on the vet for a real take (he thought the HP films were boring to make but magic to be a part of).

After razzing the romanticized but sweeping American Revolutionary War saga, Isaacs did make it clear he loved it. Then furthered his thought by saying he’s pleased that it’s connected with so many watchers over the years. But he also points out that it's not real, as he said:

The Peter Pan actor’s assessment of The Patriot is an apt one. While it’s a completely captivating epic full of moving familial drama, dramatic showstopping landscapes and definitional Hollywood battle scenes, it is a work of fiction. And though he said it in a lighthearted way, it’s an important piece of information to clarify. To be clear, it does draw lightly from a few historical figures and an event or two but then heavily tweaked.

But squaring up The Boy Who Lived to widowed Benjamin Martin is certainly a memorable one. Both have tragic family and friend related events, a man vs. man (or rather wizard vs. wizard) storyline and end with a triumph over adversaries. The actor's comparison of the two blockbusters won’t soon be forgotten here, and likely that was the point of his wry declaration.

So, if you’re like me and won’t forget this moment of Isaacs using HP to poke fun at The Patriot, I have one other thought. The upcoming book to screen adaptation of Rowling’s 7-book installment should be even more factual than the OG movies, right? We’ll have to wait and see!

Catch the Harry Potter franchise and its offshoots with an HBO Max subscription or watch The Patriot with Pluto TV or vod services.

The new Harry Potter series is picking up steam after it cast the three leads, and fans of the Harry Potter universe are still on the fence about it. One fan even put together a list of shows they want more than the new series, which will be streaming with an HBO Max subscription. It’s still hard to predict how it will turn out and how it will compare to the books and beloved film franchise, but OG Lucius Malfoy actor Jason Isaacs opened up about the changes and how he feels.

It was announced in 2023 that then-Max would be developing a “faithful” Harry Potter series that would be “authentic to the original books.” That being said, the film series remains a cultural phenomenon and is loved by many, so it will be interesting to see how the show does, but Isaacs is looking forward to it. Having played the villainous head of the Malfoy family in the Harry Potter film franchise, Isaacs told Entertainment Weekly what he thinks of Johnny Flynn taking over:

Considering there are not one but two source materials for Flynn to pull from, it might be hard for him to do mostly do his own thing... but it’s not impossible. Plus, Isaacs sounds pretty confident that he’ll be able to do it, and it’s not surprising. The two actually worked together in 2021’s Operation Mincemeat. However, the White Lotus star wouldn’t say if his former co-star reached out to him after being cast as Lucius. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t reach out himself:

How Flynn will do as Lucius is hard to tell, but the fact that Isaacs is sure he’ll do a good job definitely means something. The same can be said for the rest of the cast of the new series. There is a lot of pressure knowing that the books have already been adapted, and they are still loved along with the films. The best that can be done is keeping an open mind about it, especially since it will look a lot different from the movies. As Isaacs pointed out:

As of now, an exact plot for the show has not been revealed, but much like the films, there are reports that one book will cover one season. And it should run for “10 consecutive years,” as Chairman and CEO of HBO & Max Content Casey Bloys previously said. If anything, it sounds like fans will be able to look forward to a different adaptation than what was done for the movies, and at this point, it could really go in any direction and tell any story.

A premiere date for the Harry Potter series has not been revealed, but filming has kicked off, with the series set to premiere sometime in 2027. Along with Flynn, the cast includes Dominic McLaughlin, Alastair Stout, Arabella Stanton, John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, and Nick Frost.

Few properties are quite as popular as Harry Potter, which is a bonafide sensation decades after J.K. Rowlings' books were released. Of course, this is partly thanks to the Harry Potter movies, which folks constantly re-watch or stream with a Max subscription. Jason Isaacs famously played Malfoy's father Lucius, and finally explained why he nearly used the killing curse of Harry in The Chamber of Secrets.

While fans of the Wizarding World wait for information about the developing Harry Potter TV series, information about the movies is still trickling out. Isaacs recently appeared at Fan Expo Denver (via Collider), where he explained the very real reason why his character started uttering "Avada Kedavra" at Harry before being stopped by Dobby. In his words:

Oopsies. Looks like Isaacs had no idea which spell he was saying during Chamber of Secrets, as he wasn't all that familiar with Harry Potter when filming his first appearance as Lucius Malfoy. And it was ultimately advice from a crew member that accidentally started this years-long debate about the killing curse among Potterheads.

While the Harry Potter cast is iconic now, they were ultimately just actors trying to do a job. Isaacs was a great choice to play Draco's father... even if there was a bit of a learning curve.

Jason Isaacs and Tom Felton formed a close relationship throughout filming the Potter movies, and that all began with The Chamber of Secrets. Later in that same convention appearance, the OA actor joked about being green in the Wizarding World at the time, saying:

Honestly, can we blame him? It wasn't Isaacs fault that he wasn't well-versed in the spells of Harry Potter. So it was up to someone set to stop him if he was using one of the unforgivable curses when Lucius wouldn't have.

It should be interesting to see what comes next for the Wizarding World. The Fantastic Beasts franchise is seemingly dead in the water after the last two installments failed to perform at the box office. And while we're getting a Harry Potter TV show, fans are still wondering if/when a movie adaptation of The Cursed Child might be coming.

The Harry Potter series is streaming now on Max. And while there's no movies coming on the 2025 movie release list or beyond, the property recently expanded thanks to Universal Theme Parks.

The Harry Potter movie series is one of the most beloved franchises in cinema history, with a fanbase that spans generations. With that in mind, it was natural that many would have various thoughts about Warner Bros.' decision to reboot Potter as a streaming TV series, which will eventually be available for HBO Max subscription holders. However, a significant portion of the controversy has centered on a particular casting decision, and Jason Isaacs, a veteran of the Potter films, is no longer having it.

A lot has been made about the casting of actor Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape. Since Essiedu is Black and Snape is traditionally written as white, the casting decision has been rebuked by a certain corner of the Internet. While speaking at FanExpo Denver (via Collider), Jason Isaacs -- who played the role of Lucius Malfoy in the films based on J.K. Rowling's fantasy books, chalked up the criticisms to racism. Isaacs' perspective is derived from his firm belief that fans can't question the talent that Essiedu possesses as an actor. Isaacs said…

There was a concerted effort on the producers' parts to cast young actors to play the teachers at Hogwarts on the show. Honestly, that's more in line with the way the characters are written in the books. Many have claimed that this attempt to cast more book-accurate characters was their problem with the casting of a Black actor as Snape. However, not everybody buys that argument.

On the whole, the cast that’s been put together for the new Harry Potter series looks rock solid. For his part, Jason Isaacs seems to be looking forward to the show. He thinks any naysayers will have to eat their words once they see what the cast, including Paapa Essiedu, are capable of. Isaacs continued…

The three actors playing the key trio of Harry, Ron, and Hermione are newcomers, and most of the rest of the cast don’t exactly have movie star status. Albus Dumbledore portrayer John Lithgow is arguably the biggest name in the cast so far. Nevertheless, the majority of the ensemble are solid actors who have done great work before. While some still question whether a Harry Potter series is something the world needs, considering how good the movies are, nobody is going to be able to accuse the new show's creatives of not putting time and effort into casting.

A number of fans seem to be withholding judgment until the Harry Potter series debuts sometime in 2026. Hopefully, the ensemble proves to be as great on screen as they all collectively read on paper. Also, given Jason Isaacs' enthusiasm, I can't wait to hear his initial thoughts once the show finally premieres.

There are popular franchises, and then there's the global sensation that is Harry Potter. The Wizarding World has entertained audiences for decades thanks to the Harry Potter movies (which are streaming with a Max subscription), as well as theme parks, stage plays, video games, and the original novels. Jason Isaacs famously played Lucius Malfoy, and told the story about why filming his first scene with Daniel Radcliffe was so unexpectedly special.

The bonds formed by the Harry Potter cast are still going strong today, as we saw during the Return to Hogwarts reunion. But new information is still trickling out about their time filming the series. Case in point: when Isaacs appeared on the podcast Dinner's On Me, he shared what surprised him the most when filming The Chamber of Secrets. Namely, the cast's ability to improv. As he put it:

He cited the fact that author J.K. Rowling wasn't on set, therefore allowing the actors more freedom than if she wanted each scene to be accurate for the book to screen adaptation. While speaking to host Jesse Tyler Ferguson, he explained why he started to ad-lib while filming with a young Daniel Radcliffe. In his words:

Given the beloved nature of the Harry Potter franchise to that point, who can blame Isaacs for having this reaction? Although now I have to wonder exactly what he was improvising as Draco's villainous father while on set. Did any of these lines make it into the theatrical cut? I need more information!

While Jason Isaacs developed a strong relationship to his onscreen son Tom Felton throughout filming the Harry Potter movies, the same can also be said for Radcliffe. Later in the same conversation, he spoke about recognizing the talent and intellect in the latter actor, offering:

We'll have to wait and see if/when Daniel Radcliffe takes the jump from acting to directing. He's had an impressively eclectic career over the years, spanning both the stage and screen. So why not get behind the camera?

The Harry Potter franchise is streaming in its entirety on Max, which will also be home of the developing Potter TV show. We'll just have to wait and see when the Wizarding World returns to our screens.

From the outside looking in, being an A-list Hollywood movie star may seem like a pretty sweet gig, as fame certainly has its benefits, after all. Jason Isaacs isn’t an actor without fame, given he's appeared in major TV shows and movies, including one of the most iconic franchises of all time. However, the White Lotus alum isn’t quite among the top tier of the most famous movie stars in the world. It turns out that it works out just fine for him, and he has a Mel Gibson-related to story to illustrate that.

Jason Isaacs isn’t a leading man with his own blockbuster action movie franchise, but he has played opposite many actors who have done exactly that. Vulture recently asked the Harry Potter alum how it feels to see the likes of Daniel Craig become huge stars, and he relayed a story from his time working with Mel Gibson, which taught him there’s a downside to global fame he doesn’t really want. Isaacs said…

Mel Gibson was indeed a highly sought-after actor years ago, having solidified his place in the business as the lead of the Max Max franchise (which he's done with now) and other films. Not only that, Gibson was even courted for James Bond years ago.

At this point, Gibson likely no longer has to deal with that level of fame he had back in the late 1990s. Still, it’s not difficult to see Jason Isaacs' point. Gibson knew that simply being in public was going to draw crowds, so he felt he would ruin the experience for others if he showed up to karaoke and ended up doing exactly that. The alternative was to sit out an experience where others are having fun, which doesn’t sound like fun either.

Jason Isaacs says that he was offered a lot of “heavy” roles playing opposite “A-list macho movie stars” following his success on The Patriot. He largely turned them down to play smaller roles and appear on stage. While he admits he regrets turning them down because of the money he would have made, he doesn’t regret doing it because of how they might have impacted his career. There’s at least an argument they could have made him a bigger star, but he seems fine with that.

Of course, as previously alluded to, Isaacs hasn't avoided major movie and TV projects entirely. He was a key part of the Harry Potter cast and was a major focus of attention on the latest season of HBO's The White Lotus (on which he performed a nude scene).

I wouldn't be surprised if gets the odd stranger asking for a picture or an autograph here and there. Yet he doesn't have to deal with fame to the degree that the likes of Tom Cruise or Dwayne Johnson likely would in the same situation. Given that Isaacs still gets to work consistently and not be hounded by the public, I'd say he has the best of both worlds. You can stream his work on The White Lotus using a Max subscription.

The upcoming Harry Potter TV show is taking shape and, as part of that, the cast is being assembled. Over the past few weeks, Warner Bros. Discovery has been announcing the cast members, with the new Harry, Ron and Hermione stars even having been revealed. Earlier today, another round of supporting actors were revealed, including the actor who’s set to play Lucius Malfoy. With that, Jason Isaacs – the actor who originated the role in the Potter films – took to social media to share his own take on the casting decision.

It’s been confirmed that British actor and musician Johnny Flynn is set to take on the role of Lucius on the highly anticipated fantasy series. Social media has apparently been set ablaze regarding the choice, with fans sharing their share of thoughts. Amid the chatter, Jason Isaacs took to X, where he retweeted a post about Flynn’s casting. He also shared a sweet message of support for his predecessor as well as a humorous request:

Leave it to the always-witty Jason Isaacs to come to the party with a bit of humor. Nevertheless, he seems to be all in on Johnny Flynn taking over his famous role, and that probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Isaacs actually had the opportunity to view Flynn’s talents up close, as they starred alongside each other in the 2021 war film Operation Mincemeat. So I wouldn’t take that last comment as an insult of any kind, given it’s likely more of a playful jab.

This is indeed a solid acquisition for the Potter show, as Flynn is indeed a true talent. He’s shown off his acting prowess in films like Emma and Stardust, with the latter featuring him in the role of late musician David Bowie. As for his TV credits, the multihyphenate has appeared on Lovesick, Genius and The Lovers among other titles. He’s also the frontman and lead songwriter of the band Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit. So, needless to say, Flynn is a man of many talents.

Jason Issacs’ positive feelings about the casting definitely track, given what he’s been saying as of late. In April, Isaacs joked about his version of Lucius eventually being forgotten, due to someone else playing him on the eventual TV show. Despite that, Isaacs truly seemed to be at peace with the notion of his interpretation being pushed aside. On top of that, before he made those statements, he even pitched Meryl Streep to play Lucius. (And that’s honestly a fun thought.)

As mentioned a host of other Harry Potter characters were cast today, joining the previously announced cast. Check out the latest batch of stars to be confirmed for the show:

• Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley
• Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy
• Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan
• Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil
• Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown
• Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley
• Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley
• Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge

I’m confident that Johnny Flynn will bring something unique to the role of Lucius Malfoy. Sure, it’ll be different from Jason Isaacs’ take on the character but, of course, Flynn’s goal shouldn’t be to repeat what’s come before. Whatever happens though, I agree with Isaacs in that Flynn’s stellar musical talents should be left at the door once he takes on this iconic role.

The Harry Potter show is set to premiere sometime in 2026 and will be available for HBO Max subscription holders. In the meantime, why not take a look at the titles that lie within the 2025 TV schedule.

Draco and Lucius Malfoy may not have a healthy relationship in the Harry Potter movies, but the men who play them have a lovely relationship in real life. Tom Felton and Jason Isaacs consistently show support toward each other, and after the Draco actor joined Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to reprise his role as the grown-up version of his wizard, his on-screen dad shared the sweetest tribute.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Tom Felton would return to the role of Draco Malfoy in the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. He’s the first actor from the films to come back and play the character he originated on screen, and fans were so hyped about it. Obviously, Jason Isaacs was stoked too, as he took to Instagram to sweetly write:

What a lovely birthday present! In the past, Felton has wished Isaacs a happy birthday on social media, and The White Lotus star has also celebrated his on-screen child’s birthday as well. So, with a history of publicly commemorating another year of life, this announcement has become particularly sweeter.

Of course, over the years, Isaacs and Felton have reunited and loudly supported one another, and it’s always nice to see. However, this is extra special.

Tom Felton will be returning to the role that he originated on screen, he’ll be making his Broadway debut, and he’ll be the first person to reprise their Harry Potter role on stage. He’s also the perfect age to be playing the grown-up version of Draco that’s in Cursed Child, and it all just feels very full circle.

To make matters even more full circle, in Cursed Child, Draco is a father, and the show focuses on his and Harry's sons.

So, to have the man who played his dad in the movies show his excitement for this new project is wonderful.

It’s not surprising, though. As Felton has worked on various theater productions, Jason Isaacs has shown up to support. He also hyped up the Draco actor’s Harry Potter book back in 2023, too. So, of course, the Lucius actor is going to get a ticket to see him in the Cursed Child.

You can see him on stage too, as tickets for Tom Felton’s run in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child go on sale on June 10 at 11 a.m. ET. He’ll be in the show from November 11, 2025, through March 22, 2026, so both you and Jason Isaacs have plenty of time to see him.

However, for now, take a moment to enjoy how much these two actors support each other and then go back and watch them as a toxic (but iconic) father-son duo in the Harry Potter movies with an HBO Max subscription.

The White Lotus Season 3 was a great addition to the 2025 TV schedule, but it was also accompanied by controversy. The credits have long since rolled on the HBO season, and yet Walton Goggins' publicist had to end an interview not that long ago after an interviewer pressed him on questions about a supposed feud with co-star Aimee Lou Wood. That and more remain topics of public interest, and cast member Jason Isaacs has some regrets about the part he played in it.

Isaacs recently took part in a roundtable headed up by the L.A. Times and spoke about his work on The White Lotus. During the discussion, Isaacs recalled how a quote he gave during the Season 3 press tour diverted the conversation away from the show (which is available to stream with a Max subscription). The British actor tried to explain his comments and how he felt people took it and ran with it in a way he didn't expect:

Jason Isaacs made headlines more than a few times throughout this latest run of TWL episodes. He even made headlines for trolling Duke University and discussing other elements tied to his character. He even spoke to CinemaBlend alongside some of his fellow cast members about the allegedly isolating experience of filming in Thailand. When it comes to the role he played in the gossip, it seems that what's done is done. This situation is truly a testament to how comments can spread like wildfire across the internet.

While Isaacs might to talk about other things like Tim Ratliff's big monastery scene, drama sells, and fans may want to hear further details about what went down amid filming. While the Harry Potter alum has some regrets about sharing his sentiments in the first place, he did make another thing clear:

It seems like, overall, Jason Isaacs is glad he was in The White Lotus but wants to be honest that it wasn't all sunshine and roses behind the scenes. I can totally understand that and, based on his compliment for Mike White, it doesn't seem as though he's blaming the showrunner for anything that might've occurred on the set when they were filming.

Unfortunately, the fact that Isaacs even opened up about it now arguably isn't going to kill the conversation surrounding The White Lotus' supposed BTS drama. It's hard to say just how long there's going to be interest in the production of this third season. What can be surmised by Isaacs' comments, though, is that he's hoping the gossip doesn't ultimately drown out the work that was done.

As for me, I'm currently eager to see where The White Lotus heads for Season 4. Here's for hoping an absolutely unexpected location, and a drama-free filming process.

There are popular franchises and then there's Harry Potter. The book to screen adaptation continue to be wildly popular, with fans re-watching the eight movies with their Max subscription. Actor Jason Isaacs famously played the villainous Lucius Malfoy through the Harry Potter movies, and recently shared why he was nervous when stepping onto the set.

The Harry Potter cast is part of film history forever, with Jason Isaacs being one of the adult actors who brought J.K. Rowling's story to life. While the young cast has spoke about their nerves on the movie, it turns out that the White Lotus star also had his own concerns. In a talkback for Broadway's Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (via People), Isaacs got honest by sharing:

Points were made. While the kids of the Harry Potter franchise were unknowns upon being cast, the adults were all wildly accomplished English actors. That includes the likes of Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, and more.

Jason Isaacs said his job was to show why Draco Malfoy was such a jerk, but he played his father Lucius in five out of the eight Harry Potter films. In the same appearance, the star of The OA (which is streaming with a Netflix subscription) went on to share that he was nervous about working with late Dumbledore actor Richard Harris. In his words:

Talk about daunting. While Isaacs is a talented actor, seeing his heroes on the set of the Harry Potter films was understandably nerve-wracking. While young actors might say the same about him nowadays, the 61 year-old star of the screen shared more about what it was like filming in Hogwarts and beyond. In his words:

Being an actor is a tricky thing, as the right project can see you paired with your heroes. While there were nerves involved, Isaacs was able to give a truly iconic performance as the patriarch of the Malfoy family. And however take that role next will have some big shoes to fill.

With the Harry Potter TV show developing, a new actor should be taking on the role of Lucius Malfoy. It should be fascinating to see who gets the role, and if they have similar nerve issues on set. Only time will tell.

With the new Harry Potter series in the works, curiosity is running high in terms of casting. We’ve learned who will play some of the core Hogwarts staff, and we’re still waiting to find out who will take on the parts of Harry, Ron and Hermione. As all this news has come out, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the Harry Potter movies’ cast will react to the people set to play the characters they portrayed. Now, Jason Isaacs has shared his thoughts on the matter, happily explaining why he’s fine with people forgetting he played Lucius Malfoy.

Now, first off, I don’t think Isaacs will be forgotten for playing Draco Malfoy’s evil father. His performance was iconic, and in the 23 years since his debut as the character in Chamber of Secrets, he’s consistently asked about it. However, when Lucius is eventually cast in the series, Isaacs thinks his take on the wizard will be forgotten, as he said on the Awards Chatter podcast:

For reference, Isaacs said this at a live event, and the second his role in the Harry Potter movies was brought up, people applauded. However, he seemed pretty convinced that it won’t keep happening.

He’s sure viewers will move on to the new cast and leave his take on Lucius in the past. Using how The White Lotus gets a new ensemble every season as an example, the actor said:

To an extent, I get his point. When The White Lotus Season 4 comes, focus will be on that cast more so than Season 3’s ensemble, which included Isaacs. However, it’s worth noting the amount of attention the Season 1 and 2 casts still get.

Jennifer Coolidge is constantly being talked about, especially in this world, and she was even asked about Season 3. Meghann Fahy was asked about the show while promoting Drop (per People), and she was in season 2. And Season 1 star Fred Hechinger was asked about The White Lotus and his feelings about Season 3 by Seventeen. And those are just recent examples…

I have a feeling Jason Isaacs will never be able to escape questions about The White Lotus, seeing as those who came before him can’t – and I mean that as a compliment. So, the same can probably be said about Harry Potter.

If anything, I’d say interest could go up after the new Lucius Malfoy gets cast. I know I’ll want to hear Isaacs' thoughts on who gets picked to play Draco’s dad, and I’ll 100% want to know his feelings about the new actor’s performance.

His point is fair, though. For many, the HBO Harry Potter series will be their introduction to the Wizarding World, which means they’ll think of the actors in the show as these characters before thinking about the movies’ cast. However, for all of us who saw this world visualized through film for the first time, our minds will likely go to that cast first.

So, I don’t think we’ll forget Jason Isaacs’ portrayal of Lucius Malfoy, but I do appreciate his enthusiasm and perspective on the whole situation and the idea that someone else will play this character. However, for now, he’s the one and only version, and you can see him in his sinister role by streaming the Harry Potter movies with a Max subscription.

Though you won’t find the Wizarding World on tap for any 2025 movie schedule appearances, the legendary adventures of author J.K. Rowling’s magical epic still enchant fans all over the world. And part of the reason why, at least on the cinematic side, is thanks to captivating performances like Jason Isaacs’ portrayal of Lucius Malfoy. However, when really digging into what the character’s function is, and what that meant to him, the veteran of villainy provided some notes that the future Harry Potter Max series should definitely take note of.

Jason Isaacs’ Understanding Of Lucius Malfoy’s Role In Harry Potter Is A+

During a recent live event at the Miami Film Festival, THR’s Awards Chatter podcast had the opportunity to chat with The White Lotus Season 3 cast alum, which naturally opened the door to Potter talk. As an actor so acutely attuned to playing a good villain, Isaacs was able to lay out his pernicious patriarch in two simple sentences:

The short version of Lucius Malfoy is pretty cut and dry, and you could see that reality as early as his first appearance in 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Though that rundown isn’t the total story on the xenophobic wizard, as Jason Isaacs would also provide this additional context on his unique take on Lucius’ character:

The symbolism surrounding Voldemort’s supporters has always been steeped in racist politics, and one of the clearest examples of that is the Malfoys. I'd assume that many who use their Max subscription to revisit the Wizarding World will tell you the same, and that adds to the increasing danger that Harry and his friends face off against during their tenure at Hogwarts.

Speaking of He Who Must Not Be Named, the actor behind one of his most loyal subjects actually shared a story about how a scene from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I benefited his performance. And in reading Jason Isaacs’ complete story, the function of Lucius Malfoy actually further emphasized how his intensely unlikable behavior benefited Draco (Tom Felton, who recently surprised fans at Chicago's Harry Potter shop) in the long run.

Lucius Malfoy’s Villainy Benefitted Jason Isaacs, And The Harry Potter Series, In Unique Ways

There’s a moment in the first half of Deathly Hallows’ two-part adaptation where Malfoy Manor is basically the headquarters of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Not only has the Dark Lord taken Lucius’ home as his base of operations, but he also publicly forces Mr. Malfoy to surrender his wand, so he can use it to kill Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe).

Looking back on that scene, Jason Isaacs shared this insight into how his reaction in the moment wasn’t exactly acting:

Showing that even Lucius Malfoy could be brought to heel under Harry Potter’s big bad, The Deathly Hallows proved how far the series had come in its storytelling. But that moment also allowed for Draco to eventually be redeemed in a way, through the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Between Draco’s apologetic nature and his son Scorpius’ befriending of Harry’s son Albus, the cycle of horrific Malfoy behavior is broken. For anyone who automatically disliked Slytherins after watching the Harry Potter movies, these twists led that part of the audience to really think about how the houses had previously factionalized.

Meanwhile, Jason Isaacs' comments gave us some deep insight into Lucius Malfoy's actions and how they impacted his son's story.

Obviously, there are spoilers for the finale of Season 3 of The White Lotus, so if you’re not caught up, now’s a good time to get there with a Max subscription.

The wonderful thing about The White Lotus is that different people take different things away from the show. How one person sees the ending and the lessons learned can be completely different from how another person sees it. One of the most talked about parts of the 2025 television schedule was the fate of Lochlan Ratliff (Sam Nivola), or Lochy, the youngest (though not the most innocent) child of Tim and Victoria Ratliff (Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey, respectively). Lochy didn’t die after consuming the deadly seeds of the poison fruit, and I think the show’s brilliant creator pulled his punch there. Allow me to explain.

The White Lotus Has A History Of Tragic Accidents

In each of the first two seasons of the HBO hit, tragic accidents have befallen fan favorites. In Season 1, it was the accidental stabbing of hotel manager Armond (Murray Bartlett) by Shane (Jake Lacy). In Season 2, it was everyone’s favorite character, Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), who tripped, fell off a boat and drowned after narrowly escaping an attempt on her life.

In Season 3, this exact kind of tragedy is avoided when, despite drinking the poison and tripping out for a bit, Lochy awakens in his father’s arms. I understand that Mike White was bringing together the concepts of faith, Eastern Religion and redemption that were the overarching theme of the season, but that still would have worked had Lochy died. The theme wasn’t dependent on him living, and for me, it took away from the theme.

Returning To The Ocean

Lochy’s final moments had him imagining himself drowning, unable to reach the surface of a rough sea, just as the Buddhist monk had described death to Tim in an earlier episode. When we die, the monk explained, we return to the “one giant consciousness.” The monk compares it to being a drop of water returning to the ocean, just as Lochy envisions it. It would be a tragic end to Lochy, but it would've reinforced the theme, just as his redemption ultimately did, too.

The fallout from Lochy’s death would have been intense, but it’s not like he was an innocent bystander this season. Whatever was going on between him and his siblings was anything but innocent, and that was on him. I’m not saying he deserved death, but his journey to enlightenment wasn’t complete until his near-death experience, and it could have come from living or dying.

I think Mike White let us (and Tim Ratliff) off the hook, and while the deaths of Rick and especially Chloe hit us hard, it wasn’t half as hard as it would have been watching Tim react to his youngest son’s death in his arms. I guess, like Lochy, we were spared that, but maybe we shouldn’t have been.

It's going to be a long wait until Season 4 of The White Lotus, and we're not sure where the show will take place, but I do know that I'll probably be thinking about the end of this season until it returns.

Spoilers ahead for The White Lotus Season 3 finale, so fire up that Max subscription if you haven’t completed the season yet!

Our stay at The White Lotus has come to an end on the 2025 TV schedule, as Chelsea and Rick turned out to be the guests departing Thailand in bodybags. As tragic as that was, one of the most horrifying parts of the finale involved the Ratliff family and some poisoned piña coladas — a pretty unfortunate circumstance considering Coffee Mate’s truly wild collaboration with the show on a piña colada-flavored creamer. Even other brands like Cheez-Its, Welch’s and Pringles agree it’s “awkward,” and I can’t get over these reactions.

Over the course of the season, we saw Timothy Ratliff (too much of him, in fact) struggling over how to tell his affluent family that he had been implicated in illegal business dealings and they were about to lose everything. In the finale, Jason Isaacs’ character decides to add poison fruit to the family’s piña coladas, killing all of them except Lochlan, his youngest.

He doesn’t go through with it, but it still put Coffee Mate in a strange position, given the rollout of their new White Lotus flavor just weeks earlier. The company posted on Instagram:

As dark as the whole situation is, I love that Coffee Mate saw the humor in it — especially given the fact that Nestle execs reportedly didn’t know how piña coladas would play into The White Lotus Season 3 finale.

What’s even better is how other brands reacted to the news. After Coffee Mate spotlighted its awkward predicament, Welch’s Fruit Snacks did its best impression of Timothy (in full Jason Isaacs accent, I presume), writing:

Other companies joined in, with Kendall-Jackson wines drawing inspo from Parker Posey’s amazing Victoria. Their comments included:

• Kendall-Jackson: Have you ever heard of wine?
• Pringles: Piper nooooooo
• Cheez-Its: Crying 😭
• Dole: 😳😳😳

I can’t get enough of these reactions, honestly, and Coffee Mate’s parent company Nestle seems to be taking the potential PR nightmare in stride as well. Daniel Jhung, president of Nestle USA’s coffee and beverage division, told the Wall Street Journal they were unaware that poisoned piña coladas would be such a huge plot point, but looking back, The White Lotus team had been excited that that was one of the flavors pitched to them. Jhung said:

I’ll say this: Nestle and Coffee Mate certainly handled the situation with cooler heads than Duke did regarding its association with the Ratliffs. After Timothy wore a Duke T-shirt in a graphic scene in which he contemplated suicide, the university released a statement saying The White Lotus had gone “too far,” using their brand in such a way without permission.

It’s true that at least Coffee Mate was actually in business with The White Lotus, even if they didn’t know the whole context. Jason Isaacs got the last laugh with Duke anyway, making a very intentional choice with his wardrobe at the finale event.

It’s all over now, though, and fans are left to sip on their (hopefully not-poisoned) piña coladas while we contemplate where Season 4 might be set.

Spoiler alert! If you haven’t seen The White Lotus Season 3 finale, stream it with your Max subscription if you don’t want spoilers!

The White Lotus Season 3 has come to an end on the 2025 TV schedule, and we finally know which of the titular resort’s guests departed their Thai vacation in a bodybag. Surprisingly all of the Ratliffs made it out alive (though things got pretty scary for Lochlan for a bit), and nobody was likely more relieved by that fact than those at Duke. After getting backlash for sporting university merch this season, it seems Jason Isaacs got the last laugh.

Timothy Ratliff had a pretty tough vacation, as he hid from his family the fact that back home he’d been implicated in illegal business activity, and they were about to lose everything. Over the week, Jason Isaacs’ character was seen sporting a T-shirt with his alma mater’s name, and Duke did not like that, saying The White Lotus had gone “too far” in associating Timothy with the university. So I’d imagine they also didn’t appreciate Isaacs’ choice of wardrobe at a finale event Sunday:

Yes, Jason Isaacs proudly showed off a Duke Blue Devils T-shirt at HBO's The White Lotus Season 3 Finale Event in Westlake Village, California, on April 6. I’m sure nobody bought that he was simply supporting the men’s basketball team, who were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament just a day earlier, right?

It wasn’t Timothy Ratliff’s illegal business deals that seemed to rub Duke officials the wrong way, but rather the character’s response to learning his fortune was effectively gone. In a graphic scene — during which he is wearing the Duke shirt — Tim contemplates suicide, balking only when he thinks of his wife and daughter finding his body. This leads him to consider killing his family before taking his own life.

Frank Tramble, Duke University's vice president for communications, marketing and public affairs, released a statement saying the logo was used without permission and “in our view uses it on imagery that is troubling, does not reflect our values or who we are, and simply goes too far.”

The Ratliff patriarch continued to sport the Duke shirt — apparently he didn’t pack much else in the way of sleepwear — including in the finale, when he nearly poisoned his family with fruit from the suicide tree. He wasn’t wearing the Blue Devils shirt during that scene, but Tim did allow his wife and two oldest children to take some sips of the poisoned pina coladas before changing his mind and knocking the drink out of Saxon’s hand.

If Duke’s administrators are upset about anything, they should be ashamed at how stupid one of their alumni was to not wash out the blender of suicide tree fruit. Because apparently the threat of rancid coconut milk is not enough to make a teenage boy wash a dish instead of just using whatever’s in there for a protein shake. Lochlan really does have questionable decision-making skills.

I’m sure the university is glad that this season of The White Lotus has come to an end, while we all recover from the loss of scene-stealing Aimee Lou Wood as Chelsea and her revenge-seeking boyfriend Rick (Walton Goggins). Of course we’re already thinking about the Season 4 setting and which White Lotus characters we’d love to see again, but until those big decisions are made, we can relive the first three seasons of Mike White’s series by streaming them on Max.

Spoilers to come as The White Lotus' Season 3 finale airs, so be sure to tune in on HBO or with a Max subscription.

After seven weeks of girlfriends backstabbing each other in relatable ways, male characters showing full-frontal dong, the rare example of same-sex TV incest and Jason Isaacs as a ticking time bomb with a questionable accent, The White Lotus Season 3 is now coming to an end, with an abundance of storylines wrap up with presumably shocking reveals. Rather than keeping all my thoughts locked up inside my head while watching, I decided to lay them all out in live-blog form while the episode aired.

So whether you're enjoying this watchalong live on Sunday night or waited until a later time to get your fix, I hope you enjoy joining me for this last gasp at paradise (at least until Season 4 arrives with its new location). I've already made a few predictions about what will and won't go down in the finale, but I'll also lay out the characters I think are most likely to die, whether due to the unidentified shooter(s) mystery or other means.

Update: Since I didn't actually expect 10 characters to get killed off, I'll try to think of it as a positive takeaway that two of my top four picks met their maker. Even if it sucks to be right about #1.

Welcome, friends and strangers and generalWhite Lotus fanatics. It's the biggest night of the year for Mike White's HBO hit, and I can already tell I'll need one or twelve deep-tissue massages and spiritual consultations around 90 minutes from now. Kick off those sandals and grab a drink. It's about to get nasty in paradise.

It's the last Season 3 opening title sequence we'll get from the 2025 TV schedule, and I think I'll miss it now more than I thought I would have in the first half of the season. Still not the banger that came before, but a worthy successor. As if my approval is needed.

Lochlan watching Piper wake up, with his hands in his pockets no less, is not the kind of imagery I want to associate with Buddhist teachings. The same goes for Tim popping pills while wearing his ever-present Duke T-shirt.

Was Jaclyn reading Sritala's memoir? Is she going to learn something interesting from the actress' past?

Sam Rockwell's Frank may very well be Season 3's biggest tragedy, despite the fact that he never quite seemed truly unhappy while onscreen. Especially while he was rolling down that hotel hallway. What a fucked up li'l rascal in his bikini briefs.

Gaitok is going to report the robbery and everything will go smoothly in the way he expects....is what I would say if I were Bizarro White Lotus viewer.

Laurie is hungover and feeling awful at the exact time Jaclyn chooses to take the higher road and apologize. Just like a terrible friend, amirite? I still wish Laurie would have taken something jewel-shaped from her sexual tryst.

A big gigantic LOL at Belinda forgetting that Zion and Pornchai already met under the least comfortable circumstances.

I totally understand Belinda's reasoning for not taking Greg/Gary's $100,000 hush money, but I also think Zion has the right idea in telling her to try to game the presumably guilty killer into offering more money.

Belinda's animal-covered shirt feels like a clue I can't get into obsessing over at the moment.

I'm torn between how much of Piper's reaction to her temple stay was genuine, and how much of it came as a response to Lochlan so confidently saying he would be joining her when she moved there.

Props to Sarah Catherine Hook for that scene, too. She mostly convinced me, but her reactions to Lochlan previously still have me suspicious. Plus, Victoria's own reaction to Piper's pampered comments was enough to make me throw up into Tim's confiscated pill bottle.

Dammit, Piper. Don't be like them. Don't be like herrrrr.

Oh. My. Lanta. Lochlan's attempt to confront Saxon over THAT brotherly handjob was hard to watch. And my hears started to ooze brain fluid when this came out.

Jesus, Lochlan. Say less. Say nothing.

Even though Gaitok has the show's version of Chekov's gun, I would rather see him get into a big fist fight with Valentin over the robbery. Especially if it mirrors the fight coverage from the penultimate episode.

Hahahahahaha. Just as Saxon was starting to find a reason to feel fully human for possibly the first time in his adult life, true sunshine burst out of Aimee Lee Wood as she ran to hug the now-returned Rick. I kinda hate myself for thinking she's the most likely person to get offed.

It wouldn't be the worst thing for audiences if both Chloe and Saxon died by running head-on into each other at full speed.

The fact that Tim has to rely on Lochlan being the only family member who isn't obsessed with money, but is obsessed with pleasing people, is the one who might tip the depressed and potentially murderous-suicidal criminal into not going fully over the edge. Maybe all he needs is a handjob. I won't say from who, though....

I don't know if I believe Valentin's claims to Gaitok or not, although I'm inclined to, given that he sort of outed himself with his plea.

But I don't really care either way, I guess. I'm fine with him taking whatever fall needs to happen.

As soon as someone in a TV show refers to another thing as a "Suicide Tree," there's no question whether or not that fruit will be used in the most nefarious of ways. Especially when such a detail is revealed to arguably the WORST PERSON WHO COULD LEARN THAT FACT.

Greg/Gary always has "dentist office waiting room with a broken TV, weak WiFi and zero magazines" energy, and it would make me extremely anxious about ever telling him anything that came across as even slightly off-putting. Even if he wouldn't kill me first thing, he might start talking more, and he's just not that interesting a guy.

But power to Zion for having the mega-balls to put a figure like $5 million on the table before showing his cards to say he looked into Tanya's net worth.

He probably should have capped it off there without questioning how many days Greg/Gary has left on the planet. I love that Belinda played into Zion's plan without him even knowing it. Smart woman. Outside of trying to bilk money out of a murderer, anyway.

If Tim is truly trying to kill only himself, he's likely going to also take Saxon down unintentionally by using that blender. You just KNOW Saxon has some kind of smoothie recipe to counteract shock and sudden depression.

Mook turning down Gaitok's nice-guy behavior is not surprising in the slightest. So if that doesn't turn around and blow up in her face somehow - presumably through drowning-by-testosterone - it's possible I don't understand what her storyline was supposed to be at all.

I didn't see Laurie confessing her Aleksei encounter so soon into reconnecting with the others.

Also, how many hours does Valentin work during each day's shift? If he's not with the friend trio, he's always in uniform.

Chelsea getting to speak the line where the episode's title is mentioned...

...then saying that whatever Rick does to hurt himself hurts her...

...then finally, at long last recognizing the lack of forever-dom in their relationship. Ouch.

Seeing those big emotional eyes well up makes me want to go back and smack myself for judging the character's naivety in the past. Chelsea deserves only the best!

Wow, Laurie's monologue is quite possibly the most well-written and authentic-sounding admission of self-reflection possible in the world of The White Lotus. I wish I had the ability to say certain things to some of my oldest friends that could possibly unlock deeper pathways to happiness.

Maybe I just need to make and then spend a lavish amount of money on a vacation to make that happen.

The backwards music was the perfect background for Tim's backwards approach to "helping" his greed-soaked family as he poured everyone's poison-filled piña coladas.

I wonder how much they need to drink for it to work, sinc ethey all definitely drank some before his conscience finally kicked into gear. They should have all followed his advice to Lochlan.

What a psychopath, trying to go to bed immediately after trying to murder his family, without even making the attempt to clean anything up himself. Very foreboding shot of the uncleaned blender.

Gonna need a comedic White Lotus spinoff called All Them Danged Monkeys.

Holy shit, Belinda got her money, with Greg/Gary saying he was giving it to Tanya as much as he gave it to Belinda herself.

Natasha Rothwell delivering one of Season 3's best lines with:

Four minutes if you're lucky, Belinda.

What. Kind. Of. A. Fucking. Gross. Moron. Is. Lochlan.

I didn't think he deserved a super-heinous fate for anything that happened earlier in Season 3, but making a morning smoothie after not having cleaned the blender used the night before that supposedly had bad coconut milk in it? He deserves whatever.

Walton Goggins' Rick standing toe to toe with Scott Glenn's Jim just naturally makes for great TV, but it's even better when the latter rocks the former's world by claiming Rick's mom lied about what happened to his dad.

What a way to break someone's spirits, too:

He could have sent that message in an email, if only Rick had left his email!

Doesn't look like anyone suffered anything too terrible from the bit they drank the night before? But Lochlan doesn't look like he'll make it through breakfast-time.

And now we've come full circle back to how the Season 3 premiered started, with Zion starting his wellness session with Amrita. She tells Rick she'll catch back up with him again in one hour, but we know that won't happen with all the gunfire that starts up.

Okay, so Lochlan's death scene - interpreted as him drowning in a pool surrounded by monks' shadows - made for a more tragic outcome than I anticipated. I love the way it reflected the interpretation of death he heard at the temple.

Tim Ratliff should get the award for "Most Powerful Hindsight When It Comes To Cleaning Out Poisoned Appliances Before Passing Out." I definitely feel bad for him, considering he can now officially add "accidental filicide" to his rap sheet.

Ugh, speaking of full-circle moments, I am a bit sickened by seeing Belinda doing the same thing with Pornchai that Tanya did with her, in a manner of speaking. Albeit under different cirumstances, but still.

Fucking Rick. I wish that was just a dream sequence, but no. None of it.

Not Rick taking Jim's gun and shooting him in cold blood in front of all kinds of witnesses which was fucked up enough.

But it also wasn't a dream when Rick learned that Jim is actually his biological father. What. The. Fuck.

Turns out Rick is pretty damned amazing with a gun, seeing as how he took out the Lotus' security team with deadly accurate headshots. But it turns he should have been a better shield than a weapon, as his actions inevitably led to Chelsea's death.

R.I.P. the most innocent White Lotus character.

Of course the one time Gaitok decides to prove himself to be a man, it's listening to his boss and putting a stop to the man who opened fire inside a hotel resort. Oh, wait, that was actually the move he was supposed to make, even if viewers didn't want to see it happen.

But goddamn, Gaitok had no real idea if Chelsea was really dead or not, and didn't appear to be all that interested in checking after she was dumped into the water.

R.I.P. Rick, you tragic mistake, you.

I'm taking back anything that sounded nice about Lochlan's earlier scene, as it wasn't a true death at all! He just went unconscious for a while, and woke up after a bit, even though Tim seemingly didn't do a lick of CPR on his son.

I thought Tim might even jump off of the boat after it left, but no, he just gave some half-assed advice to his family to prepare for sour grapes when they get back to the U.S. Not the best mental chaser to the strangest family vacation they'll likely ever have, but at least he didn't kill his own kid. What a hero.

Looks like Chloe and Greg/Gary will get to play out his "got caught cheating" roleplay fantasy. So it was all worth it in the end, I guess.

Natasha and Pornchai's love story better continue in a different season or a different show or a video game or an airline pamphlet or SOMETHING. What they had was real, and unlike Tanya, she doesn't have another romantic relationship pulling her away from the plans they talked about.

So I want to believe she'll give him a call after she gets settled and feels safe enough.

IT'S OVER. The blood has stopped flowing. The boats have stopped...rowing. (No need to rhyme here.) The Ratliffs have left the building, which means the building is now far less controversial and grimy than it was when they were guests. Speaking of, let's wrap with a round-up of conclusions for the major stories.

• The Ratliffs: Nobody died, and no one found any true catharsis, and Tim is set to face major consequences for his white-collar crimes. It's presumed that Lochlan will remain clueless about why his protein shake truly threatened his health, and Saxon will remain clueless about why he let Lochlan jerk him off. IT'S NORMAL, OKAY, DEAL WITH IT.
• Gaitok: Unable to make his romantic connection with Mook work, Gaitok was shown to have ascended to the idealized role of Sritala's driver, having been the one to quickly avenge Rick's attack on Jim. Of course, Rick helped by first taking out most of Gaitok's colleagues.
• Laurie, Jaclyn and Kate: Despite having the most innate drama rise to the surface throughout the season, the three lifelong BFFs made it out of Thailand with a bond that's possibly stronger than ever.
• Belinda and Greg/Gary: For all the predictions and theories that something would go completely haywire with these two history-sharing characters, it looks like the affluent widower made good on his part of the deal, and Belinda is now $5 million (and one killer secret) richer. Assuming the boat she and Zion left on wasn't bombed, of course.
• Rick and Chelsea: Alas, the star-crossed lovers become bullet-crossed victims. And Rick died knowing that he'd just shot his real father, whom he'd held years of unwarranted hatred, while carrying the corpse of a loyal lover whose death he all but guaranteed with his actions. No Buddhist-inspired peace for Rick, even if his demise literally had him floating in water.

Thank you to everyone who read along during that wild-ass finale. It'll be a while before I get back back to my normal heartrate. And I'll be looking out for updates about Season 4 in the meantime.

Spoiler Alert: There are some light spoilers based on the preview for Sunday’s season finale of The White Lotus, which is available with a Max subscription.

The White Lotus creator and mastermind Mike White is keeping us all on our toes, as always, with Season 3 of the hit HBO show. Ahead of the Sunday night finale, fans are spinning all kinds of theories about who will turn up dead and who will be responsible. I’ve got a theory that would add an element of Greek Tragedy to the show, which seems like something White would be prone to do.

Will There Be Irony?

Mike White seems just like the kind of writer who would find inspiration in the classics, and as we all know, his attention to detail is becoming as legendary as his attention to, ahem, human anatomy. One classic technique in Greek plays is the use of irony. It’s been a staple of Western literature and drama ever since. Could Tim (Jason Isaacs) be the victim of the bitter taste of it in the finale? I think there’s an opportunity here.

In the preview at the end of last week’s episode, we see Tim asking a staff member about the poisonous fruit that grows on the property of The White Lotus. It’s referred to as “the suicide tree.” Well, well, well, we all know how desperate Tim has become in light of his looming legal troubles back home, and he’s been contemplating taking his own life by suicide for a couple of episodes now.

Later in the preview, we see his son Saxon’s blender whirring with some yellowish liquid in it. We’re led to believe that Tim might be mixing up a batch of suicide smoothies for his family and himself. While I don’t think we can trust the previews all that much, Tim going full Jim Jones does seem like a real possibility here.

So let’s say that does happen, and maybe they drink and maybe they don’t. Tim has been out of the loop for days now, with his phone locked up at the front desk. What if - and here’s the irony - all the evidence in his case is thrown out due to an illegal search.

The Fruit Of The Poisonous Tree

“The fruit of the poisonous tree” is a legal term that refers to the exclusion of evidence that stems from an illegal action by investigators. This might be due to the lack of a search warrant that leads to new information or some other legal oversight in the process of obtaining the evidence, which leads to it being dismissed. What if Tim does serve up the deadly drink to his family, but back home, his legal problems have resolved themselves and somehow his case has been thrown out because of inadmissible evidence? In that way, the poisonous tree strikes twice. What a twist that would be.

I’ve grown to like Tim and his dysfunctional family, and I really don’t want to see them become victims to his desperation. I’m really hoping he figures out another way out of all this, like staying in Thailand and becoming a Buddhist, but that doesn’t seem tragic enough for The White Lotus. No matter what happens, I can’t wait to see how this season wraps up, including finally learning who the shooter is from the opening scenes.

HBO is synonymous for acclaimed TV shows, and right one of the most popular originals on the air is The White Lotus. Mike White's dark comedy is currently in the midst of its third season on TV (and streaming with a Max subscription), and there have been a ton of viral moments. Chief among them was Jason Isaacs' nude scene, and White recently explained why he so often includes these sequences in the Emmy-winning series.

Some folks are figuring out how to watch The White Lotus Season 3, but I'm one of the super fans actively tuning in every Sunday. The show has has lots of full frontal during its run on the air, with actors like Isaacs wearing a prosthetic penis in order to film and retain their privacy. While speaking with THR about his acclaimed show, White explained the strategy behind using nudity, offering:

Well, my mind is blown. While the filmmaker seems to be using The White Lotus' nude scenes for particular narratives, he also sees the power in including them at all. And he's not wrong; these full frontal sequences tend to go viral online shortly after the episodes air.

Jason Isaacs' nude scene in The White Lotus shows his character Timothy Ratliff's descent into madness, and also moved the incestuous brother plot line forward prior to Saxon and Lochlan actually making out.

Back in Season 2, Theo James also had a nude scene, complete with a giant prosthetic. Aubrey Plaza's Harper Spiller accidentally sees it when he gets changed, which helped to ratchet up the tension between the two couples. And, just like Isaacs' scene this year, that sequence promptly broke the internet.

Of course, sometimes a nude scene is simply a nude scene. We got another full frontal sequence during Season 3's episode "Full Moon Party", where friends Laurie, Jaclyn, and Kate bring Valentin and his friends back to their suite. One of the buddies goes naked during this montage, and we see yet another penis on The White Lotus.

The White Lotus expertly serves a bunch of a different character's stories, but also is quintessential water cooler talk during each new season. That's because of the way Mike White keeps the audience's attention, through wild plot lines and, yes, some nudity for good measure.

There is one more episode of The White Lotus Season 3 left, airing Sundays as part of the 2025 TV schedule. Only time will tell if Mike White includes one more nude scene on the way out.

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t caught up with The White Lotus Season 3 on HBO or with a Max subscription, so be warned!

Even though it feels like we just pulled up to the welcome dock at The White Lotus’s Ko Samui resort, and somehow our erotically disturbing and stress-swept journey has only one last leg to go during the 2025 TV schedule in the form of the Season 3 finale, "Amor Fati." So many storylines need to be wrapped up in the installment, which will be around 90 minutes in length, with the mystery shooter situation still the biggest question mark.

But before it can all get laid out for us in full for another delightfully twisted night of HBO programming, let’s make a few weighted guesses about what definitely won’t happen before the finale’s credits roll, as well as a couple of things that likely will.

Definitely Won't Happen: Gary Reveals That He Actually Is 100% Innocent Of Everything That Was Ever Suspected Of Him

To see actor Jon Gries in interviews and in lighter roles from his career, and it's almost shocking how quickly he becomes the guiltiest-looking person in the room while in the role of The White Lotus' name-switching Gary. Through all three seasons so far, the slow-moving character has earned the ire of every Tanya-adoring viewer, but all without the show every fully proving him to be a black widower culprit.

His explanation to Belinda in Episode 307 almost seemed like it could have been sincerely true, if only it had been uttered by anyone else but Gary. I don't fully suspect that creator Mike White will tip his hat 100% in the direction of Gary's guilt, but I am entirely convinced that the show will not wrap up this storyline by revealing that Gary-as-Greg hasn't ever done anything wrong or put anyone else in danger, and that his health issues have been entirely authentic. Not gonna happen.

Probably Will: Tim Keeps The Family In Thailand As A Fugitive

The White Lotus has been almost uncomfortably content with showing audiences exactly what it would look like if Jason Isaacs' tension volcano Tim murdered his entire family before turning a weapon on himself. (To the disgust of Duke representatives, among others.) But even if Gaitok hadn't already stolen the gun back without Tim's knowledge, I still don't think it's in the Southern-bred pill-popper's nature to go out on such a sordid and headline-making note.

Instead, I think Tim will come to the realization that his best attempt to avoid all of his legal troubles and financial woes stateside is to avoid going back home altogether, with his family necessarily staying near to avoid their own investigations. Granted, all of their assets have likely been frozen, and I doubt any of them are keeping giant cash bags around, but it’s far easier to envision Tim embracing Buddhist minimalism than to picture him opting for murder-suicide.

Definitely Won't Happen: Laurie Makes Three Wise Decisions In A Row That Benefit Her Mental Health, Job Life, And Friendship Choices

I think we all know someone like Laurie who seems to only make the kinds of decisions they know they’ll regret later. Even if that assumption is largely influenced by Jaclyn and Kate’s smack-talk, Carrie Coon’s character certainly hasn’t tried to buck their expectations at all, with her ill-considered sexual conquest as the latest example.

Granted, I think that festering resentment stems from her having previously been in love with Jaclyn’s husband, and that the latter’s infidelity reopened some of Laurie’s old wounds. Regardless, The White Lotus’ finale will most definitely not feature a good-decision montage in which Laurie permanently elevates her sunny disposition, makes the best possible job change, and finds a set of new friends whom she doesn’t harbor ill thoughts towards. I think she’s stuck in her unfortunate-but-relatable friend triangle for the long haul.

Probably Will: Jim Hollinger Fucks Rick's World All Up

Fresh off of playing Vince Vaughn’s father in Bad Monkey, Scott Glenn entered the monkey-focused White Lotus as a bad man responsible for killing someone else’s father. (Impossible to typecast this guy.) But despite Jim Hollinger arrival being prefaced with allusions to health problems, and despite the performance feeding into that, Glenn isn’t the actor one casts to flinch and cower and fail to respond when another man pushes his chair over.

No, Glenn is the dude who gets cast to show up out of nowhere and rain untimely hell onto whoever is most deserving. And with Rick utilizing Sirita to find her hubby, she knows exactly where he’ll be going after leaving Bangkok. I fully believe that Jim faked his feebleness more convincingly than Sam Rockwell’s Frank faked being a movie director, and that he will return in the finale to brutally wipe the contented smile from the face of Walton Goggins’ character. And that Aimee Lou Wood’s scene-stealing Chelsea will be amazing as it all goes down.

Definitely Won't Happen: Saxon And Lochlan Explore Their Incestuous Feelings Via Family Meeting

Perhaps The White Lotus’ biggest shocker came when Patrick Schwarzenegger’s Saxon proved himself to be a three-dimensional human in the aftermath of getting freaky to the deaky with Lochlan. That said, the ego-maniac came to the self-realization that he’s but a hollowed-out husk without the dependable comforts of a wealthy hetero lifestyle, while Lochlan didn’t exactly seem very normal when visiting the temple with Piper. This trio of offspring could definitely do with an endless cycle of therapy.

That said, I certainly do not foresee Saxon and Lochlan addressing their complicated feelings head-on with each other, which makes the eventuality of the entire Ratliff family talking about their brotherly love about as likely as Parker Posey’s Victoria growing a second head just to show off her hats. One can only hope that learning about the horrors awaiting Tim back at home completely overshadow every single atypical moment that went down on Chloe’s boat. It’s fine (and deserved) if he still remembers Chelsea repeatedly turning him down.

Other Quick-Take Predictions For The White Lotus' Season 3 Finale

• Belinda will get, and keep, Pornchai's number.
• Zion will not agree to have sex with Chloe for the sake of Gary catching them in a fit of horny jealousy.
• Chloe will find someone to volunteer after Zion says no.
• Jaclyn will not reach self-awareness about her own destructive behavior.
• Kate will end up giving one of the Russians money that they lie about needing.
• Valentin will not ever watch any of Jaclyn's movies.
• Victoria will discover Tim took all her pills and will illogically try to make him throw them back up.
• Piper will not think Buddhism is cool anymore after Tim and Lochlan have shown interest.
• Gaitok will risk his life to save Mook's, only to realize she is not the perfect match like he imagined.
• Frank will continue to abuse substances until it kills him.
• Fabian will not land a record deal or Las Vegas residency.
• Chelsea will realize that trying to be a motherly protector to Rick is on the same spectrum of weirdness as Saxon and Lochlan's mess.

Join me in making a home-crafted checklist for all of the above to keep score on Sunday night when The White Lotus finale hits HBO and Max at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Spoiler alert! This discusses the March 23 episode of The White Lotus, “Denials.” The episode can be streamed with a Max subscription if you’re not caught up.

Many of the guests at the titular resort on The White Lotus Season 3 — currently airing on the 2025 TV schedule — have something they’d prefer to keep hidden, and chief among those is Jason Isaacs’ Timothy Ratliff. The embattled financier may be proud of alma mater, but the same can’t be said for Duke University, who has taken issue with the show using its brand, saying it “goes too far.”

Timothy Is Pushed To The Edge In ‘Denials’

So what are the circumstances surrounding Duke’s complaint? In what has to be the least-relaxing vacation ever, Timothy has learned that back home he has been implicated in an illegal business deal. Unbeknownst to his wife Victoria and their children, their return to the United States will likely see them stripped of their fortune, with Timothy possibly facing time in prison.

The situation feels dire to the Ratliff patriarch, and in “Denials,” he considers — via a death fakeout scene, in which he’s wearing a Duke T-shirt — ending his life with the gun he stole from Gaitok (Tayme Thapthimthong). He then imagines how Victoria (Parker Posey) and their daughter Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook) would react to finding his body, so later (and no longer wearing the Duke shirt) he envisions killing his wife first before turning the gun on himself.

He doesn’t go through with it, and Gaitok recovered the stolen gun, so hopefully murder-suicide is off the table for Jason Isaacs’ character. It was still a really tough watch, to be sure, and as far as Duke is concerned, the damage was done.

How Duke Responded To The Latest White Lotus Episode

On March 27, Frank Tramble, Duke University's vice president for communications, marketing and public affairs, released a statement (via TODAY) to say the school did not "approve the use of its marks" on The White Lotus. Tramble continued:

While this part of the statement is broad, suggesting that any series using the university’s clothing might imply an endorsement, one has to think the actions of The White Lotus character in question is what makes this objectionable, specifically the scene in which Timothy is wearing the Duke shirt.

Frank Tramble goes on to address that point, noting that suicide is the second-leading cause of death on college campuses. The statement reads:

I can see why Duke took issue with this scene in particular, and given the fact that Timothy’s stress has been caused by illegal business activity back home, I can’t imagine they’re thrilled with the character’s association overall to the university.

I have to wonder if they would have said anything if Jason Isaacs had been wearing the Duke shirt during Timothy’s full-frontal scene, but that’s something we’ll never know. Either way I can definitely appreciate them speaking out in service of their students’ mental health.

There’s no way to know if Timothy will don more Duke merch in the season’s final episodes, but if you want to find out if our theories about The White Lotus Season 3 characters play out, as we get closer to solving the shooter mystery, the penultimate episode airs at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, March 30, on HBO and streaming on Max.

If you or someone you know are having thoughts of self-harm, please, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

SPOILERS are ahead for The White Lotus Season 3, Episode 6 – “Denials.”

The White Lotus has been ruling my thoughts in the 2025 TV schedule, and now that we have just two episodes left, I think we need to talk more about Jason Isaacs’ Timothy Ratliff. While on vacation with his family in Thailand, he learns some massively troubling news – he’s being investigated by major newspapers and the FBI, and could return home to prison time and his whole family’s life and fortune ruined. When CinemaBlend spoke to the actor, he addressed taking on the role and his standout scene in Episode 6.

Jason Isaacs Talks Why His The White Lotus Role Is Such A 'Challenge'

While a lot of the conversation around Jason Isaacs and The White Lotus has been about his viral accent and his full-frontal scene, I don’t think we’re talking enough about how difficult of a role Tim Ratliff is. When I talked to the actor during the show’s press day in Los Angeles, I brought up how in early episodes, it’s basically him, a cell phone, and the show’s fantastic score. Here’s how he responded:

Of course, Jason Isaacs found it pretty much impossible to say no to a role in The White Lotus, given how beloved it is, and being a fan himself. But as he spoke about, he wasn’t sure how he’d be able to pull it all off without much to play off except for his own acting. He didn’t even get the chance to really work with some of the other cast members while in Thailand for seven months. Elsewhere in the interview, Isaacs shared that he was “so lonely there” except for when his on-screen kids would keep him company.

The White Lotus Star Also Had Interesting Thoughts About Episode 6's Monastery Scene

That brings us to where we are with Mr. Ratcliff, who is so internally overwhelmed at this point in the series that he’s even thought about stealing a gun and pulling it on his family before ending his own life. Just prior to that scene, he goes to the monastery his daughter Piper wants to live in and has a big moment with a monk. Considering it was one of the standout scenes of the series so far, here’s what Isaacs said about it to CinemaBlend:

In a trip that has been riddled with anxiety and stress, Tim had his first moment and tranquility when the monk shared his peaceful description of what he thinks happens when people die, calling it a “happy return.” Now, with the episode’s events and Isaacs’ thoughts on it in mind, I’m wondering if he’ll be the shooter we’ve been wondering about.

Of course, there’s so much happening this season. We’re worried about Walter Goggins’ Rick, his two sons have just given new meaning to brotherly love, and there’s Tanya’s shady husband, Greg Hunt, at the resort. We’ll learn more once the next episode airs this Sunday!

Jason Isaacs may be getting a lot of attention right now for his stellar performance in Season 3 of White Lotus, but we can’t forget when he played Death Eater wizard Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. That regal stance and sharp delivery he brought out in his antagonist character still gives me chills just thinking about it. But as a Harry Potter TV series is in the works to appear on your Max subscription, the British actor has a wild pick for who he’d like to take on the wizard baddie and I kinda want to see this happen.

While Jason Isaacs didn’t get a lot of screen time in the Harry Potter movies, he still managed to give a memorable performance as Lucius Malfoy. His cold, hard stare into the camera and his authoritative voice when conjuring up evil spells showed you exactly where Draco got his arrogance and bleach-blond locks from. Considering how iconic Isaacs’ role was as Lucius, it’s hard to picture anyone else donning the long blonde wig. However, Variety asked The Patriot actor who he’d pick as his antagonist character in the upcoming Harry Potter series, and here was his wild answer:

Now, this I want to see! We know that Meryl Streep can play one of the best female villains in film history, The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestly, and a wicked witch in Into the Woods. Let’s not lie – she can play anything, as Jason Isaacs said. I would love to see her wear the long blonde wig and give that signature sneer that Lucius Malfoy gives when things don’t go his way. I know Streep is capable of playing a man considering she once played a rabbi in the HBO miniseries Angels in America. Seeing how unrecognizable she was in that role, it wouldn’t be a far stretch for her to achieve the same effect as the spoiled pureblood wizard.

Meryl Streep really is one of the most phenomenal actresses out there who never gives a bad performance. Her best movies demonstrate her ability to absorb each character’s wide range of emotions, movements, and fine details like a sponge. She made you cry in Kramer Vs. Kramer, laugh in Florence Foster Jenkins, and mad in The Devil Wears Prada. Streep is a master of many accents, can sing and dance, and spans her screen presence across a variety of genres. There’s seemingly nothing this woman can’t or isn’t willing to take on.

The cast of the Harry Potter film series hasn’t held back their opinions of what they’d like to see in the upcoming HBO series. Daniel Radcliffe’s thoughts for the producers of the series include making sure the new child actors still act like kids and Bonnie Wright’s advice for the Max cast is for their interpretation of their characters to be considered. As for Jason Isaacs, his advice for the new show would honestly be no advice:

It seems to me that Jason Isaacs has full faith in the new Harry Potter team that he trusts they know what they’re doing. So far, we’ve got 3rd Rock From the Sun’s John Lithgow officially cast as Dumbledore who would perfectly portray the wise wizard’s gentle authority and warmth he’d give The Boy Who Lived. There are also reported frontrunners for Snape and Professor McGonagall.

Gangs of London’s Paapa Essiedu is apparently closing in on the new deal as the Slytherin professor and Kaos’ Janet McTeer is reportedly in talks to play the late Maggie Smith’s iconic role. The young actors of the iconic trio haven’t been selected yet but with thousands of kids trying out, I’m excited to find out which of the young talent will fit the magical roles we’ve known and loved.

As wild as Jason Isaacs' fan casting is of wanting Meryl Streep to step into the role of Lucius Malfoy, I would still be intrigued to see that happen. The Academy Award winner has proven time and time again that she’s as versatile as a chameleon on the big screen; why not add the villainous Death Eater to her list of credits? We can see which lucky actors will raise their wands with HBO’s Harry Potter series expected to premiere sometime in 2026.

In just a few short years, The White Lotus has become one of the HBO's most popular shows on the air. Mike White's dark comedy (which is streaming with a Max subscription) is currently in the midst of Season 3, and there's been a ton of discourse surrounding actor Jason Isaacs. In addition to Isaacs' viral nude scene, people online have also been discussing the accent used by him and Parker Posey. And he's even responded to that chatter.

While it was revealed that Isaacs wore a prosthetic penis, the conversations surrounding his accent have continued to follow the season. As some folks figure out how to watch The White Lotus Season 3, the OA alum offended his dialect for Timothy Ratliff during an interview with Esquire. He said:

So there. Isaacs has clearly seen the discourse surrounding his performance in The White Lotus, and is standing by the accent he did throughout Season 3. And while it might have been shocking for some audiences, he and Parker Posey are using a very specific dialect as the Durham-based Ratliff family.

Isaacs has had a long and wildly successful career in film, including being part of the Harry Potter cast. As such, it was ballsy for fans to throw jabs at both him and Parker Posey for their accent work in The White Lotus Season 3. Maybe we should let the professionals do what they do best.

Personally, I've been loving this accent used by Isaacs and Posey, with the latter actress using it to really chew the scenery in every single scene. Footage of the Best In Show actress went viral immediately, and her lines from Season 3 and press appearances have even been made into a dance track. Yes, I do walk around my home talking imitating her saying "Buddhism", "Tsunami" and more of her already iconic one-liners.

It should be interesting to see what happens to the Ratliff family, whose tension is reaching a boiling point on The White Lotus. Jason Isaacs' Timothy is facing financial ruin, drug issues, and suicidal ideation. And that's to say nothing of the Ratliff brother kiss that broke the internet last episode. And I assume Posey's Victoria is going to be detoxing now that her prescription is gone.

New episodes of The White Lotus air Sundays on HBO as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. We'll jut have to wait and see which characters actually make it out alive.

HBO has always been the hub of stellar TV content, and those with a Max subscription are currently being treated to the third season of Mike White's The White Lotus. The public has been obsessed with each new episode, with the internet exploding when Jason Isaacs did a full frontal nude scene. The discourse surrounding that sequence also got the Harry Potter actor into some hot water, and he's now clarified his comments about the "double standard" in Hollywood related to nudity.

As soon as the unexpected nude scene occurred, the internet wondered if Jason Isaacs was really showing his genitals or using a prosthetic. After all, White Lotus had given other actors like Patrick Schwarzenegger a prosthetic previously. Isaacs was originally offended by this line of questioning, and name dropped Anora's Mikey Madison and The Substance's Margaret Qualley, who he said would never be asked about their genitals. This got the Potter star into some hot water, and he spoke to Variety about what he meant. In his words:

Clearly Isaacs has heard the discourse online about his comments, which didn't really land the way the 61 year-old actor intended. While he was offended by the comments about his genitals in White Lotus, he wasn't claiming that men have it harder in Hollywood.

Women have long been exploited and objectified in Hollywood, which is why Jason Isaacs' idea of a "double standard" turned so many heads. Later in the same interview, the Lucius Malfoy actor expressed contrition for bringing Madison and Qualley into the conversation. As he shared:

Both Qualley and Madison had to do some nudity for their roles in The Substance and Anora respectively. For the latter actress these efforts won her an Academy Award at this year's ceremony. Jason Isaacs made it clear that the respects their talent, and that he simply misspoke after a long and grueling day of press. Considering how many interviews actors are expected to do while promoting projects, the exhaustion factor is very real.

All this chatter about prosthetic penises might inspire folks to figure out how to watch The White Lotus Season 3 before it's over. It's already been a season with a ton of nudity, so only time will tell what goes down in the final few episodes as they air as part of the TV premiere list.

The mysteries are unfolding on The White Lotus as it airs on the 2025 TV schedule, and we’ve certainly got our theories about which Season 3 character will wind up dead after a week at the titular Thailand resort. Many of the guests have something to hide, but for Jason Isaacs’ Timothy in the latest episode, everything was on full display. More details about Isaacs’ nude scene have been exposed, but the same can’t be said for the actor’s actual family jewels.

The White Lotus fans got more than they bargained for from Timothy Ratliff in “Hide or Seek” (streaming now with a Max subscription). Jason Isaacs’ character committed the ultimate of wardrobe malfunctions while lounging around with his family at their luxe accommodations, allowing his robe to fall open and flash his penis to his wife, children and a mouth-agape home audience. The actors portraying his younger children clarified to TVInsider, however, that we didn’t see the Harry Potter actor’s real magic wand. Sam Nivola, who plays Lochlan, said:

Sarah Catherine Hook, the actress portraying Timothy’s middle child Piper (who has us both intrigued and worried about her), confirmed as much, saying:

Sam Nivola agreed, adding:

It’s absolutely hilarious to think about Jason Isaacs strutting around set in anticipation of his full-frontal scene, though I suppose some fans might be disappointed that they didn’t get the fully authentic show. Lochlan and Piper were justifiably aghast at their father’s faux pas, while Parker Posey (a brilliant casting choice) and Patrick Schwarzenegger were all too amused as Tim's wife and son.

Those who have enjoyed Jason Isaacs’ other characters over the years — particularly Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies — had some wild reactions to seeing the actor’s “basilisk.” While some certainly didn’t mind the robe slip, others may have complicated feelings during their next Wizarding World movie marathon.

The experience may have been new and exciting for the actor, but this was far from The White Lotus’ first foray into male nudity. For one thing, we’ve already seen a nude scene from Patrick Schwarzenegger — who plays Timothy’s older son Saxon — as we got a full view from behind in The White Lotus’ Season 3 premiere. But past seasons have also featured actors wearing penis prosthetics.

In Season 1, Steve Zahn’s character bared it all, though the actor later revealed that was the work of a fake phallus as well as a body double. Then in Season 2, Theo James reportedly used a prosthetic when his character was shown in the buff as he changed into swim trunks.

We’re halfway through the Thailand adventure that is The White Lotus’ third season, and I’m personally grateful for this moment of levity for Jason Isaacs’ character. Timothy is sinking deeper and deeper into futile desperation as his whole world implodes at home — unbeknownst to his family — and I can’t imagine the future holds bright things for the man who has now stolen both his wife’s bottle of Lorazepam and the gun carelessly left behind by Gaitok.

There’s also the question of why Greg Hunt is there, and whether or not we need to be worried about Belinda. Honestly, who are we NOT worried about at this point? Tune in to see who dies and who’s responsible for it when The White Lotus continues at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on HBO and Max.

Minor spoilers ahead for the most recent episode of The White Lotus.

HBO has always been a hub for quality TV, and those with a Max subscription are currently treated to Season 3 of The White Lotus. Like its predecessors, the season is full of truly wild antics from the guests of the titular hotel. The White Lotus is no stranger to nude scenes, but the internet exploded when Harry Potter alum Jason Isaacs got his own naked scene.

While Jason Isaacs was asked to sign someone's breasts, the accomplished actor isn't necessarily known for being a sex symbol. But that might change after the most recent episode of White Lotus, which featured his character on drugs and accidentally flashing his penis to his family thanks to a robe malfunction. The moment quickly went viral, with plenty of funny tweets arriving online. One meme used a clip from The Idea Of You, sharing the shock of Harry Potter fans. Check it out below:

I'm sorry, but describing Isaacs' genitals in White Lotus as a basilisk is so twisted, niche and hilarious. Clearly the generations of Potter fans were not expecting to see so much of the 61 year-old actor.

Of course, it's more than possible that what we saw on White Lotus wasn't actually Isaacs' body. HBO has used prosthetic penises for projects like Euphoria and previous seasons of Mike White's dramedy. Still, Isaacs' nude scene came as a total surprise, and the memes on Twitter are A+. Another Potter reference can be seen below:

Honestly, some folks are never going to be able to look at the Harry Potter movies the same way. And considering that the Malfoy family were all Slytherins the jokes really write themselves. I have to wonder how many texts Jason Isaacs has gotten since the scene aired.

Another funny tweet to come out of Jason Isaacs' already infamous nude scene used footage from The Real Housewives of Orange County (streaming with a Peacock subscription). Specifically an altercation that got physical back in the day. Check it out:

Fans usually know when nudity is coming when its announced in the warnings for each new episode. Another tweet pointed this out, revealing they were anticipating seeing a different actor in the nude before the Isaacs scene occurred. Check it out:

The short clip from Season 2 has been used as a reaction gif countless times since airing, and it's only appropriate that the internet applied it to The White Lotus' latest viral nude scene.

But while Isaacs' nude scene was shocking, there are plenty of folks tweeting about how pleasantly surprised they were by the situation. Case in point:

One thing that The White Lotus is good at is creating viral moments that break the internet. And while only time will tell who dies in Season 3, it's clear that the hype surrounding the show isn't slowing down. Especially while the nudity keeps coming.

The White Lotus airs new episodes Sundays on HBO and streaming on Max as part of the 2025 TV premiere list. Only time will tell how much more full frontal will be shown before Season 3 ends.

While Voldemort was the ultimate baddie in the Harry Potter movies, we can’t forget about Lucius Malfoy. Played by the ever-talented Jason Isaacs, he showed us where Harry’s school foe Draco got his foulness. If you can believe it, though, Isaacs admits over a decade after the movies released that they were actually quite “boring” to make with one silver lining that made it all worthwhile.

You’d think the Harry Potter movies would be fun to shoot. Playing Lucius Malfoy, Jason Isaacs got to don his wand on a magical film set with the legendary Potter cast. However, the British actor gave us the hard truth about what filming the fantasy franchise was really like in The One Show video with a heartwarming positive to being part of the Harry Potter legacy:

I understand where Jason Isaacs is coming from with “big special effects films” being “boring” to shoot. When you’re surrounded by green screens and other special effects techniques, you don’t see what will appear in post-production. For instance, The Death of Stalin actor said the Quidditch scenes were difficult for him to shoot as he’s supposed to show his reactions to what he’s seeing. As Isaacs wasn’t looking at anything since those intense flying scenes would be added later in post, Alan Rickman gave his co-star hilarious advice to do “absolutely fucking nothing.” Considering what a natural actor Rickman was in his facial reactions saying more than words could, it’s the most sound advice he could give to bring out a stellar performance in his co-stars.

While filming Harry Potter may not have been as thrilling of an experience as it was for audiences watching, it’s beautiful to be part of a franchise that touched fans' lives. Those who admired J.K. Rowling’s best-selling series probably already felt themselves invited into The Wizarding World with the author’s descriptive details. Getting to see what they’ve envisioned come to life on screen with talented actors portraying these iconic characters must have been a dream come true for many.

One of the best ways for Harry Potter actors to get their loved ones to have the coolest fan experience yet of the series is by being part of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. Jason Isaacs continued to talk about his reaction to bringing his young relatives to the tour and it’s incredibly moving:

It’s absolutely magical how the Harry Potter series can bring people together. Even though Jason Isaacs previously admitted his kids don’t watch anything he’s in, hopefully that has or will change over the years so they can see their dad as a badass wizard.

To think that Jason Isaacs almost said no to playing Lucius as he was about to play another memorable villain, Captain Hook, in Peter Pan. But, his young relatives and their parents were begging him to take the Harry Potter antagonist role as a clever excuse to visit the set! So after that, how can you say no? Plus, The Legend of Korra voice actor said he loves playing a villain, calling them “the driving engine of the narrative.” So, it’s no surprise he took on Lucius Malfoy to help drive the story as one of Voldemort’s right-hand men.

Even though Jason Isaacs felt the Harry Potter movies were “boring” to make, there’s no denying his love for the positive effects he saw in his fans. I find him incredibly lucky he got to be part of a franchise that continues to touch the hearts of audiences and will continue to do so when the upcoming HBO original series releases in 2026. Until then, you can watch Isaacs fulfill the villain role that’s resonated hard with fans on your Peacock subscription and your Max subscription.

Spoiler alert! This story discusses The White Lotus Season 3 episode “Special Treatments,” which aired February 23. The episode is available to stream with a Max subscription if you’re not caught up.

We’re off to a pretty mysterious start as The White Lotus’ new adventure unfolds on the 2025 TV schedule, and we’ve already got some huge theories about Season 3. Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs), for one, seems like he’s headed for a world of trouble after a business associate confirmed during a tense phone call that Timothy was “implicated” and needed to lawyer up. I thought the voice on the other end of the line sounded familiar, and I was delightfully shocked to learn the cameo came from an Oscar winner.

EW reports that Ke Huy Quan was the voice of Kenny, who Timothy apparently did a favor for in the past — for a measly $10 million — that has come back to haunt them. In the Season 3 premiere, Timothy was unable to reach Kenny from Thailand after he learned that the Wall Street Journal was investigating their shady deal.

By the time Timothy finally gets Kenny on the phone in “Special Treatments,” Ke Huy Quan’s frenzied voice informs his associate that a whistleblower in his company reported them to the FBI, and Timothy is well aware that he’s going to be on the wrong end of some money laundering and bribery charges.

Ke Huy Quan is having quite a big moment in his career. Formerly a child actor who played Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Data in The Goonies, Quan stopped acting for decades due to a lack of opportunities. Twenty years later Quan made a triumphant return, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Not only is the actor making important calls on The White Lotus Season 3, but the phone is finally ringing for him, too. Ke Huy Quan will appear in multiple projects on the 2025 movie calendar, including Love Hurts — which is in theaters now — as well as The Electric State, coming to the 2025 Netflix schedule March 14.

This isn’t the first time The White Lotus has pulled an Oscar winner for an important voice cameo. Back in Season 2, Laura Dern was the voice of Abby, the estranged wife of Michael Imperioli’s Dominic. Dern never appeared in person on the show, but it would be quite the treat if Ke Huy Quan’s Kenny decided to go on the lam and join Timothy in Thailand.

Parker Posey has been devouring scenes as Victoria, Timothy’s wife, and I can only imagine the hilarity that would ensue from a scene between her and Kenny.

Jason Isaacs’ character may be guilty of some white-collar crime, but he’s certainly not the only shady guest at the Thailand resort. The mysteries are only just starting to unravel, and after Tanya McQuoid’s Season 2 death, I’d be shocked if her husband doesn’t come into play somehow, since Jon Gries’ Greg has already turned up in Season 3.

Tune in to see who the Season 3 dead body belongs to and if we’ll see (or hear, rather) more of Ke Huy Quan. New episodes of The White Lotus air at 9 p.m. ET Sundays on HBO and streaming on Max.

After two years, The White Lotus officially returned to HBO, and your girl’s got theories.

Like the monkeys of Thailand featured in the premiere episode, The White Lotus Season 3 swung onto our 2025 TV schedule with a luxury-filled February premiere. We've now finally met the cast of characters that we'll no doubt get to know very well over the next several episodes. With all the casting announcements over the years, it’s about time we got to see all these actors in action while making grand predictions about them.

Because as is the case with any The White Lotus season, theories begin to take hold the moment the first episode starts, and Season 3 has me in a chokehold already. Let’s get into the six massive theories for what I think will happen this season.

The Girl’s Trip Will Dissolve Into Everyone Admitting How Much They Actually Hate Each Other

There’s a reason why there’s a stereotype out there that girls' trips tend to dissolve into chaos. And I have a feeling that's where things are going for Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon and Leslie Bibb's characters.

From the moment we meet Jaclyn, Kate and Laurie, there’s something...off about the trio. It feels as if they’re excited for this vacation, as anyone should be, but the more interactions we see even on just the first day, the more it feels as if there’s a massive disconnect between all three of them.

Or at the very least, Laurie is the the odd one out. As we see, she literally excuses herself from the table at one point to go and drink while sobbing in her room. That’s not necessarily the right way to start a good girls' trip. But it’s really because all Kate and Jaclyn are so complimentary about each others' lavish lives, while Laurie is left out of it.

But I also think the former two are engaging in passive-aggressive types of compliments, and that each is probably secretly jealous of the other’s life. Which will no doubt lead to some big blow-up between them, presumably sparked by Laurie unleashing a comment that leads to all three cracking. Childhood bonds sometimes stick, but with these three, I’m not feeling it, and I know they’ll fall apart.

Those Brothers Are Going To Have Sex – Or At The Very Least, Something Sexual

Look, this is HBO., so I’m not even going to sugarcoat it. What’s an HBO drama without a bit of incest? It usually happens in the channel's best fantasy shows like Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon, but others like Six Feet Under have introduced it into a more modern reality, so why not here?

As jokey as this might sound, I do think something is going to happen between Sam Nivola's Lochlan and Patrick Schwarzenegger's Saxon. (Who names their boys that? What?) There wouldn’t have been as much tension around the conversational focus on sex, I wouldn't think. And Lochlan's lingering look at his sibling's nude body wasn't there for frivolity's sake.

I think the more prominent way this theory plays out is with the reveal that Lochlan isn’t biologically related to Saxon and Piper, and will be adopted. I think Piper and Saxon are Timothy and Victoria’s biological children, but I also think something feels kind of off with Victoria (played by Parker Posey, whom we already adore) - I’m not sure what. Still, maybe whatever it is led to them adopting a third child instead of conceiving one, and it’s perhaps why Lochlan has such weird, seemingly sexual energy with Saxon.

Either way, these two are definitely going to do something. I don’t know if it’ll be sex, but there’s something that will go down. Cough, cough. Wink, wink.

Chelsea And Chloe Will Conspire Against Their Middle-Aged Men

Okay, so Chelsea is already my favorite The White Lotus cast member, and I say that with full transparency because I get such sweet vibes from her. It feels like she genuinely wants to help Rick, but he’s just…middle-aged and grumpy about not meeting up with the man he traveled there to see.

But there’s something about this suddenly bursting friendship between Chelsea and Chloe – the model who is dating Greg, the White Lotus Season 1 cast member who was Tanya’s lying husband – that I love.

I know a lot of people assume that it’ll turn into a romance or something between them, but I don’t think that’s the case. I think these two are going to conspire against their lovers. Not to the lengths of killing them, maybe, but still working together to force their respective partners into treating them right, or taking their money as an alternate.

I don’t know—maybe it’s just my inner girl-lover persona who wants to see them fight back against men who treat them so terribly, but I want to see them work together.

A Big Confrontation Is Coming For Timothy And Rick

We only got two moments between the two, but I am full-steam ahead on an impending confrontation between Rick and Timothy.

We still don’t know what the heck Rick does, but it's clearly enough for him to have shelled out the money to come to this resort. Meanwhile, Timothy is already going through some kind of tricky thing at work, indicated by the call about a Wall Street Journal story. So tensions are running high.

So while I’m not sure how it will go down between these two, it feels like there’s going to be a lead-up to them getting into a fight, presumably started by Rick flicking a cigarette into the other man's face.

Belinda ISN’T Going To Die

I know the premiere's cold open alluded to it, but I stand by the idea that Belinda isn’t going to die in Season 3, and that definitely wasn't her body.

When we all found out Natasha Rothwell would return for Season 3 of the show, we were eager to see what would happen. It was a shame what happened to Jennifer Coolidge’s character in Season 2, but I think all of us really knew deep down she might not last long with how volatile she could be.

Belinda, on the other hand, is the most peaceful person out there and legitimately would not hurt a fly. We see that she’s excited to be at the Thailand White Lotus the moment she arrives. I really don’t think they would bring her back just to kill her off this season, especially when we just met her son, Zion, and it was hinted at but not confirmed.

Maybe I’m just being over-optimistic and thinking that somehow everything will work out with her coming back, but I really don’t think she’ll die.

But One Of The Women On The Girls' Trip Is Doomed

That’s my final bet. I don’t just think the girls' trip will fall apart – I think it’ll end in death.

I think pointing to Laurie would be an easy guess since it’s clear that she’s already a little unstable with how she feels around her friends. What I think might happen is that Jaclyn or Kate is going to snap and somehow get a gun, and one way or another, one of them is going to die.

But as we heard in the beginning, there were multiple gunshots, so maybe it’s not them pulling the trigger – it could be someone else entirely. Perhaps there’s a hitman out there or another guest that just snaps – Rick, maybe? Since we have no clue who he is? I don’t know, but I think one way or another, one of these women is going to bite the dust.

Critics have been calling The White Lotus Season 3 unique in many ways, and already, given its exotic location, I’m eager to see where it goes. I’m not sure how the story is going to play out, but I am here for the drama and the murder mystery. We’re back to White Lotus Sundays!

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando resort was unlike any theme park land we’d seen before when it first opened. Yes, the Wizarding World land's attractions are top-notch, but rather than simply being a collection of loosely connected attractions, the land is a lot more. It gives serious fans the feeling they were really inside the Harry Potter films. And those fans were quite dedicated, as Jason Isaacs learned firsthand while visiting the resort.

Jason Issacs played Lucius Malfoy in the series of Harry Potter movies (streaming with a Max subscription) and, along with other members of the cast, were on hand when the first Wizarding World land opened. The actor tells The Telegraph about an encounter with one dedicated fan, which he calls the "worst fan encounter’ he ever had (short of dealing with literal stalkers) who actually asked Isaacs to sign her breasts, right in the middle of the park. The actor explained…

For certain celebrities, a moment like this might not have been quite as embarrassing but Jason Isaacs was clearly uncomfortable with the whole exchange. The fact that he was in a theme park filled with kids was certainly part of it but it honestly doesn’t sound like he would have enjoyed this anymore if it had been in a less family-oriented environment.

It goes to show just how popular the Harry Potter cast was, and likely still is. Women getting their breasts autographed is more commonly associated with rock stars, but certainly, to a particular group of fans the Harry Potter actors are as big as rock stars.

I am a strong proponent of the idea that theme parks are for everybody, and that includes grown adults. Having said that, I would hope we could all literally keep our clothes on when in public in theme parks. Yes, somebody else’s kids don’t need to see you disrobing for an autograph. Also, other adults don’t necessarily need to see that either.

There’s a third Wizarding World land getting ready to open at Universal Orlando Resort later this year. Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Ministry of Magic will debut as part of the brand new Epic Universe theme park. I’m now very curious if any of the franchise cast will be on hand when the land opens, and very curious how fans will react if they are.

The White Lotus is back to add some chaos to the 2025 TV schedule, and there’s already an early favorite casting choice to talk about: Parker Posey! Since Season 3 of The White Lotus premiered over the weekend, I haven’t stopped thinking about her being a hilarious addition as the wife of a wealthy financier, who is secretly getting in big trouble amidst their Thailand family vacation. After talking to the cast, I’m not the only one who thinks she’s going to be a standout this season.

What The White Lotus Cast Told Me About Working With Parker Posey

When I spoke to the rest of the Ratliff family during The White Lotus press day in Los Angeles, they couldn’t help but gush about Parker Posey and her character. Here’s what Sarah Catherine Hook, who plays her daughter, Piper, said about the casting when I asked who she thought might stand out amidst the ensemble:

So true! Following the shocking death of Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya in Season 2, there is a spot available for the most beloved and unhinged White Lotus character.

Fellow newcomer, Sam Nivola, also added this during our interview:

So far, the Ratliffs are a curious family, with Parker Posey’s Victoria and her husband, played by Jason Isaacs, being very odd and unconnected.

We know that the well-off family of five going to the Thai branch of The White Lotus is in support of Piper’s thesis on a nearby monastery. While Piper is all studious about the location, her older brother Saxon, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger, is oh so very toxically masculine, and he's just looking to get laid. Then there’s Sam Nivola’s Lochlan, who was straight up staring at his brother’s buttocks (which Patrick’s famous dad Arnold commented on for some reason) while they were sharing a room.

I can only expect some wild occurrences to happen between this family as the season goes on, and I think Parker Posey’s character is going to be the unbothered comic relief.

What Fans Are Saying About Parker Posey's White Lotus Character

After speaking to the cast about working with Parker Posey in The White Lotus, it was so fun to see how the internet is reacting to the actress on the show. There’s a lot of talk already, particularly about her Southern accent, but I especially loved this take:

All in all, as illustrated particularly in the below tweet, Parker Posey is adding the right spice to make The White Lotus another memorable season. No wonder critics are all over Season 3.

I can’t wait to see what’s next when the next episode premieres this Sunday and the reactions Parker Posey's performance will elicit.

Now, while you’re here, check out what the cast had to say about their “absurd” stay in Thailand during our interview.

I picked up a copy of Harry Potter cast member Evanna Lynch’s biography The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting recently, and the coming-of-age portrait has been startling and insightful. It’s clear the actress known for playing Luna Lovegood was finding her way into the world and determining the person she wanted to be as David Yates was capturing her on camera. Yet one story from the making of the popular franchise stood out to me, and Helena Bonham Carter and Jason Isaacs were involved.

If you're a huge Harry Potter fan and know anything about Lynch, you may know she’s a careful performer, an overthinker, and a person who is always aiming for “perfection.” She’s the first to admit it, and she does in her book. These traits even came out on the Potter set, as she described her anxiety in trying to create one of the best fantasy movies thusly:

The actress recognizes while looking back that she was stressing herself out. She even approached David Yates at points to ask him if he “was sure” he was happy with some of her takes. She noted he was a director who liked lots of takes too, leading to plenty of anguish about what would make it into the final version of the film.

She was even intimidated by co-stars like Emma Watson on set, but she was finally able to escape the narrative of putting herself through unnecessary “stress” thanks to watching Carter and Isaacs film one day. She got to set early and saw them filming almost the opposite of how she’d been doing it, noting they did not “second-guess their choices.”

After that, she said she loosened up a bit, noting in her book it was less about trying to “impress David Yates” and more about finding “creativity in motion.” She called this lesson “the hardest thing to do on a movie set” given all of the eyes from the BTS crew on the actors at all times. But apparently Bonham Carter and Isaacs dominate at it.

Yates directed some of the later movies in the Harry Potter franchise, and Lynch joined the cast of the films with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She would hone her craft in subsequent films like Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows -Part 1 and Part 2 in the franchise’s final years. (Though if you ask her she's admitted she's forgotten in moments she was involved in the Wizarding World.) She still acts some, but is interested in causes promoting veganism and mental health pursuits, along with her podcast Just Beings.

While it’s going to be awhile before I’m all saved up for my next trip abroad, thanks to The White Lotus returning for Season 3 on the 2025 TV schedule this weekend, I can live vicariously through a slew of well-to-do characters. After previous seasons took us to Hawaii and Italy, this time around the cast ventured off to Thailand, and while I thought it would have spelled “dream job and vacation” for them, I was surprised to hear what being abroad to film the show was actually like.

The cast spent seven months in the Southeast Asian country for the greater part of last year at the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui. When CinemaBlend caught up with the youngest cast members, Sarah Catherine Hook and Sam Nivola, who play two of the the children of Jason Isaacs and Parker Posey’s characters, on the one hand the stay was exactly what I imagined when I think of The White Lotus luxury.

Sarah: “There was actually a pillow menu. You could order a different type of pillow. It was ridiculous.”

Sam: "It's a level of luxury that is just absurd.”

Sarah: “And, like, shouldn't exist.”

A pillow menu?? Now, that’s a whole new level of fancy!

The Season 3 cast includes Fallout’s Walter Goggins, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Leslie Bibb, Patrick Schwarzenegger and the return of Natasha Rothwell as Belinda from Season 1. They got the chance to work on one of the best TV shows on right now crafted by the great Mike White.

The actors credited Mike White for being “so supportive," all in the middle of playing two teens from the South that take a family vacation to aid the thesis Hook’s Piper is working on.

Why Filming The White Lotus Is Not Exactly What I Thought It Would Be

That being said, as you’ll see in the already critically-acclaimed Season 3, much of the show takes place entirely on the resort, and the cast I spoke to felt that on set as well. Sarah Catherine Hook compared it to "a golden cage," and it squares with what we've heard from other seasons.

These comments square with what happened when the OG season of The White Lotus filmed in Hawaii amidst a pandemic backdrop. While the hotel experience may have been comfortable, it wasn't always so simple leaving and exploring while the show was in between scenes, and I was surprised to hear the experience may not have been exactly what I imagined in my mind.

Champagne problems, sure, but I definitely thought cast would have oodles of stories about their adventures in Thailand, and it sounds like instead it was a lot of it was a lot of hotel time. Jason Isaacs added to the conversation by saying this:

Of course they had a great time, but maybe there’s such a thing as too fancy, isn’t there? You can watch the premiere episode of Season 3 of The White Lotus this Sunday on HBO or with a Max subscription, and now you can actually confirm those fancy pillows are exactly as advertised.

Who’s ready to get weird in Thailand? One of the most anticipated series on the 2025 TV schedule is upon us, in Mike White’s long-awaited third season of The White Lotus. After Season 2 ended in the shocking death of Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya McQuoid, we’ll see a (mostly) new cast of eccentric characters check in to the titular resort when the series premieres February 16. White got fans hyped with promises of a “longer, bigger, crazier” season, and while critics are praising Season 3, many are saying it starts a bit slow and is less comedic than its predecessors.

In addition to an impressive new cast that includes Harry Potter alum Jason Isaacs, Carrie Coon, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan and Patrick Schwarzenegger, to name a few, Season 1 fan favorite Natasha Rothwell is back, as her character Belinda is in Thailand as part of the resort’s exchange program. The trailer looks as unhinged as ever, and Emma Kiely of Collider confirms Season 3 is “irresistibly entertaining,” rating it a 7 out of 10 and writing:

Only the first six of the eight-episode season were released to critics, so any big reveals or twists remain under wraps. Still, Alison Herman of Variety agrees that it takes time for the pieces to come together in Season 3, and even for Mike White to reveal all the pieces the characters are playing with. However, once it gets going, the newest offering is White’s most ambitious. Herman writes:

Nick Levine of NME, meanwhile, declares The White Lotus television’s most essential destination, giving it a 4-out-of-5-star rating. The pacing issues that slightly blemish the first two episodes are a result of introducing so many characters, Levine points out, and were also present in the first two highly regarded seasons (which can be streamed with a Max subscription). The review continues:

Niv M. Sultan of Slant feels that after the Season 3 premiere kicks off with its signature murder and then flashes back to “One Week Earlier,” the characters are content to simply stew in their established misery. The cast is great, though, and the first six episodes still pack a punch, the critic says. Sultan gives it 2.5 out of 4 stars, writing:

Belen Edwards of Mashable says The White Lotus is still “a pressure cooker of social tensions and personal crises,” with fantastic performances from top to bottom. Overall, however, Season 3 attempts to do too much, threatening to spiral into bloat. The review continues:

Every one of the reviews I read praised the cast in its entirety for their work on The White Lotus Season 3. Fans of the Mike White series will have to watch for themselves to see if the darker, slower and decidedly less funny direction is for them. Catch the premiere at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, February 16, on HBO and streaming on Max.

There are popular movie franchises, and then there's Harry Potter. The Wizarding World has been entertaining audiences for years now, with some fan re-watching the Potter series every year. The ensemble who occupied Hogwarts throughout those years of filming have strong bonds to this day, although it's still weird seeing Tom Felton and Jason Isaacs reunite in puffer jackets instead of wizardly robes and wands. 

The cast of Harry Potter clearly formed strong bonds during their ten years filming the franchise, and that includes members of the Malfoy clan. While fans can re-watch their characters' dynamic with a Max subscription, Tom Felton's new IG post shows him arm in arm with onscreen father Jason Isaacs, although they definitely look like muggles. Check it out below:

How cute is that? While it's weird that they're not in robes a la the Wizarding World, it's super cute to see Felton and Isaacs' relationship continue in the years since they wrapped Harry Potter 8. And those smiles show just how happy they were to see each other.

The cast of Harry Potter recently reunited for HBO's special Return to Hogwarts, where they reflected upon their time filming the eight movie franchise. Felton shared this recent image with Isaacs to his over 12 million followers on Instagram, many of whom were thrilled to see this latest reunion on their feeds. Hey, even Slytherins need love every now and then.

In the years since the Harry Potter movie franchise was completed, Tom Felton has continued to be a huge cheerleader for the Wizarding World as a whole. In addition to hosting the red carpet for Fantastic Beasts, Felton also recently reunited with Goyle actor Josh Herdman. 

Of course, there is another major reunion that Harry Potter fans have been hoping will end up happening. Namely a film adaptation of The Cursed Child, which began its life as a stage play on the West End and Broadway. The cast of Potter have weighed in on possibly doing this movie, which tells the story of Harry and Draco's children, while also featuring the former Hogwarts students as adults. 

If Warner Bros. moved forward with a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie, Tom Felton would presumably be one of the first calls made. Draco has a pretty large role in the story, as he's trying to parent and track down his son Scorpius. We'll just have to see if plans to make a film adaptation ever happen.

While the Potter franchise's future on the big screen remains a mystery with the Fantastic Beasts series on hold, there are currently plans for a Harry Potter TV series on Max. Not much is known about that developing project yet, but fans are definitely interested. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

A stay at The White Lotus is one of the most coveted gigs in town, with everyone from Jennifer Aniston to James Marsden to Elizabeth Banks begging series creator Mike White to add them to the star-studded cast of the upcoming third season. Well, we finally got an update into exactly which actors will be joining the much-anticipated next installment of the HBO anthology series and, though sadly Jen and James aren't currently on the cast list, there are some exciting guests checking in, including a Harry Potter alum. 

We already know that Season 1 White Lotus cast member Natasha Rothwell will be returning as spa manager Belinda Lindsey, the only O.G. The White Lotus character set to appear in the third season so far (sorry, Jennifer Coolidge stans). But, per an HBO press release on January 5, we've got a new crop of vacationers that will include indie queen Parker Posey, Iron Man actress Leslie Bibb, Echoes star Michelle Monaghan, Bangkok Dangerous actor Dom Hetrakul, newcomer Tayme Thapthimthong and Lucius Malfoy himself, Jason Isaacs, of Harry Potter fame. 

The news comprises only six of the reported 13 roles being cast for the new season. As relayed by Deadline, Season 3 is aiming for nine series regulars, ranging in ages between 18 and 80, including a “patriarch, a corporate executive, an actress, a couple of mothers, a misfit, and a yogi.” 

It's not clear what parts the already announced performers would play (though we'd put serious money to see Parker Posey as a well-to-do Goop-loving yogi). Overall, though, the casting additions are a great mix of beloved familiar faces (I'm especially excited to see Popular icon Leslie Bibb in the mix!) as well as intriguing newcomers, and I can't wait to find out which role each actor will be taking on.

Other casting rumors have been swirling around the series, including that a current member of the HBO family will be making a move to the resort-set show. Scooper Jeff Sneider alleged on Twitter that The Gilded Age cast's leading lady Carrie Coon is "reportedly in talks for a key role" in The White Lotus Season 3. It would admittedly be an easy transition for the actress, as the aforementioned period drama is already full of rich people behaving badly. However, this casting gossip has not officially been confirmed by HBO nor Coon. 

While the first season of the Emmy-dominated drama series was set in Hawaii, with its equally acclaimed follow-up taking place in Sicily, the third edition will move continents yet again and head for Asia —Thailand, to be exact. Production will begin "in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok in February," and it will follow "a new group of guests at another White Lotus property," reads the release. 

Janet Graham Borba, EVP of Production of HBO & Max, expressed her excitment for the upcoming season and it's location in a statement, saying:

Though we don't yet have an exact date for when we'll be able to see Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs and the lot on The White Lotus, we do know that the HBO hit won't be on the 2024 TV schedule, as sizzle reel confirmed the third season to drop sometime in 2025. In the meantime, you can revisit previous editions of the anthology series with a Max subscription. 

In the decades since its release, one of the best sci-fi movies Event Horizon has continued to earn a steady stream of hype, thanks to the loss of director Paul W.S. Anderson’s original cut. While there are myriad stories about what the director's cut contained (and why it’s seemingly lost to time), actor Jason Isaacs recently chimed in with some interesting information about those "definitely illegal" lost scenes. 

While promoting his latest film, the BritBox Cary Grant biopic Archie, Isaacs shared some more with Yahoo about his time filming the 1997 sci-fi horror mashup. When asked about this storied alternate version, the Harry Potter alum described what he’d heard about the deleted material as follows: 

The infamous behind-the-scenes story of Event Horizon’s altered theatrical release includes a multitude of factors that led the picture to be cut into its currently existing shape. As if it wasn't bad enough the movie had to meet a tight theatrical deadline thanks to Titanic shifting into a December release date, there were also horrified reactions from unsuspecting Paramount executives when they saw the flick for the first time. (Said suits reportedly did not see any footage from the picture until its legendary test screenings. More below.) 

According to further lore surrounding the production, some of the material cut from the film later was apparently so extreme, it led to test audiences being sick. As Jason Isaacs would also mention, there was a disturbingly hellish orgy sequence that recalled the fate of the titular ship's crew and apparently caused much of the panic. With his commentary now shedding some light on what is potentially missing from the final version, I can see where that potential illegality may have come into play. 

The subject of Event Horizon's extended cut persists, especially in a post-Snyder Cut world. It's even gotten to a point where Jason Isaacs questioned the purpose, and even the existence, of Paul W.S. Anderson's longer cut. Expressing those criticisms, Isaacs shaped his thoughts thusly:

To be completely honest, all of this leaves me unsurprised that Jason Isaacs was hearing such bonkers tales on the set during filming.

Even after all this time, Paul W.S. Anderson would love to reshoot the deleted material, creating an Event Horizon “Snyder Cut” to restore his vision in full. With that notion landing support from Horizon star Sam Neill, all that would need to happen is for Paramount executives to approve that venture, and start reaching out to the rest of the cast. But it's hard to tell if the suits would go for it.

Plus, based on this new variation of the BTS tale, some scenes may need to be altered, if not left out altogether. Perhaps this time out the deal can be sweetened by finally letting Isaacs keep the disgusting Event Horizon prop he tried to bag the first time around.

The story of Event Horizon’s potential director’s cut continues to develop and take interesting turns. For now, the theatrical cut we all know and love is all we’ve got, but it’s still as wonderful today as it was back in the day. At the time of this writing, you can stream the film through access to a Paramount+ subscription; proving the point that every season has room for a story of intense, cosmic dread.

Anyone who knows me knows I love Harry Potter. If you give me time, I'll rewatch all the Harry Potter movies. I'll tell you the best characters, arcs, and everything you could think of because I am just that much of a Potterhead. And as I've gotten older, I've realized that several Harry Potter characters from the movies and the books deserved far more screen time. Today, we'll be going over them. 

Luna Lovegood

First up on this list has to be Luna Lovegood, played by Evanna Lynch in the Harry Potter franchise. When she first appeared in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Luna captured viewers' hearts with her quirky nature, and she became a great friend to Harry. 

She was a great addition to the franchise and deserved far more screen time. Interestingly, Lynch was intimidated by her co-stars when she first joined the movies, but she became a great part of the ensemble. 

Neville Longbottom

Neville Longbottom, portrayed by Matthew Lewis, was what I would call the "nerd" of Hogwarts, as everyone picked on him from day one. However, in the books, a prophecy also revealed that he could have been a Chosen One, and at the end of both the books and the Harry Potter film franchise, he saved the day and killed Nagini. If you can believe it, as much of an impact he had, he didn't have that much screen time in the movies. 

Molly Weasley

Molly Weasley, played by Julie Walters, was the mother that everyone wanted in Harry Potter, and she was such an essential part of Harry's life in the book. I would have loved to see her character get played out way more, especially her last fight with Bellatrix Lestrange. Nothing can quite beat a mother's wrath. 

Sirius Black

Gary Oldman has been in some incredible movies, and I've always considered him a shapeshifter when it comes to his roles. Sirius Black is one of those where he perfectly portrays the character. But Black had a much more significant role in the Harry Potter books, making his unfortunate death much sadder. It would have been great to see him more with the Boy Who Lived in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Kingsley Shacklebolt

There aren't many ministry people from the Ministry of Magic that I wanted to see more since most of them were the worst people imaginable. But one individual that I did love was Kingsley Shacklebolt, played by George Harris. While he had minimal screen time, the auror left a lasting impression on the Harry Potter fandom, and he was a great addition. I wish we had just one more scene of him. 

Fleur Delacour

I never thought I would want to see Fleur Delacour more, but when she married into the Weasley family, I was dying to see how that happened. We know that she winds up marrying Bill Weasley, and their story is explained far better in the books, but it happens out of nowhere in the movies. I wish we had seen more of that – honestly, I just wish we had more of the Weasley family. 

It's nice to know that the actress who played Fleur, Clémence Poésy, has been successful since then, with a recent stint in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon cast, but I really wanted to see more of her in these movies. 

Kreacher  

The house elves of Harry Potter in the films were downgraded so much it's sad. Kreacher, the house elf for 12 Grimmauld Place, the Black's home, was an essential part of the Harry Potter novels, but he was relegated to a barely memorable side character in the movie. Just sad. 

Bellatrix Lestrange 

Bellatrix Lestrange in the movies was one of those memorable characters on her own, almost more than Voldemort. Helena Bonham Carter has done some great films, but her portrayal of Bellatrix will always be my favorite because she can somehow show how insane this character is. 

However, Bellatrix was way worse in the books, and I would have loved to see her unhinged-ness way more. 

Fred And George Weasley

It may initially seem shocking for me to request Fred and George, of all people, to have more screen time, but like many others on this list, they were much more significant in the novels. The Harry Potter movies forgot that Harry gave the twins all his winnings from the Triwizard Tournament. Instead, they randomly started a joke shop without any explanation in the sixth film. I would have loved to see them more. 

Dobby 

Plenty of characters in Harry Potter were given a decent amount of screen time but were relegated to more minor characters. Dobby was one of those, where he did have significant roles in two of the films, specifically Chamber of Secrets, but he had a much more substantial part in the books – especially in the fourth. 

Peeves 

Peeves, a poltergeist who played tricks on the Hogwarts students, was one of the most prominent side characters of the novels, and yet he never made it into the movie. There is a reason why he wasn’t there, so you should check that out, but it would have been great to see him in the movies. 

Teddy 

The seventh movie glossed over something else: Remus and Tonks, who were revealed as a couple. In the books, this is a much bigger deal – and aside from that, they have a son named Teddy, who winds up becoming an orphan after the Battle of Hogwarts. 

Colin Creevey 

Colin Creevey is one of those characters we have only seen once in the whole franchise, maybe twice, when he was a more significant part of the books. While he wasn't the most fun character, he had his moments of aid towards the Golden Trio in the novels. However, in the movies, he felt like a background character that was never mentioned aside from his part in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. 

Draco Malfoy 

I know Draco Malfoy did have a decent amount of screen time in the movies, and considering Tom Felton is the biggest fan of the Wizarding World, everyone knows it. But Malfoy is another case where he played a far more prominent role in the books than in the movies. You almost feel bad for Malfoy in the novels because you get a deeper look into his psyche. 

Tom Felton has done some great movies and shows since the franchise ended. Still, I think Harry Potter is his most outstanding achievement – and he certainly shows it whenever he visits Radcliffe's star in L.A., showing his support for his friends and former castmates.

Cedric Diggory 

Cedric is another example of a significant character who was played down. While he is killed in Goblet of Fire, Diggory feels more fleshed out in the books, and he could have been played up more for the film as Harry's competitor and ally in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Also, Robert Pattinson's portrayal of him was fantastic in the pre-Twilight movies era. It's one of Pattinson's best movies, and I stand by that. 

Winky 

Do you know who Winky is? No? You're not alone because no one who just watched the movies does. Winky was a house elf in the fourth novel that Hermione fought to give proper rights to, and that plotline was completely cut. I'm not sure why, considering I recall it being decently big, but I would have liked a cameo. 

Ginny Weasley 

Ginny is another example where she got a decent amount of screen time, but I probably would have liked her character if she had been given more. Ginny, in the books, is great, but I'm not a massive fan of her character in the movies. Even Bonnie Wright, the actress behind Ginny, said the character was "disappointing." We could have done so much more. 

Remus Lupin 

Remus Lupin was my favorite professor at Hogwarts, and David Thewlis was the best person to play him, but did you know that Lupin had a much more significant role in the books than in the movies? He was a huge part of Harry's life, and we saw his interactions with Sirius, a former friend, far more often. I would have given anything to see more of his character – and maybe even more on the Marauders since he was one of them. 

Blaise Zabini

Blaise is one of those characters in the movies where it’s a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment, but as someone who actually liked seeing the other students of Hogwarts besides the Golden Trio, Blaise was one of them. He seemed so calm and collected in comparison to Malfoy’s other Slytherin friends, and I think he would have been a great addition to the main group of students that we get to know. 

Professor McGonagall 

Not only is Dame Maggie Smith an absolute delight, but Professor Minerva McGonagall was the teacher we all wanted and needed, and she did everything in her power to protect her students. It would have been awesome to see more, especially since she plays such an essential role down the line in the books. 

Narcissa Malfoy 

This is the first example where I think Narcissa Malfoy, played by the incredible Helen McCrory in the films, wasn't seen as much in the novels either. But God, I would have given anything to see more of her in the movies after she saved Harry from Voldemort by saying he was dead when he wasn't. You can count it up to a mother's love, but ugh, such a great moment from a great character that, in the end, didn't get much screen time. 

Lucius Malfoy 

Lucius Malfoy reminds me a lot of his son Draco in a way that people remember him plenty from the movies, but the books dove a little deeper into his character. And if we were given more time with the Malfoys in general, I think we could have been given a much better understanding of why they do what they do, especially Lucius. Plus, Jason Isaacs is always a win. 

Charlie Weasley 

Do you love the dragons in House of the Dragon? We could have had that in the Harry Potter movies too if Charlie Weasley was even used. The second eldest Weasley brother didn't even show up once in the franchise and guess what – he was a dragon tamer. We could have gotten so many more dragons if we saw him. 

Nymphadora Tonks 

Tonks, a metamorphmagus and member of the Order of the Phoenix, is another excellent example of someone who was underused in the movies. We saw her for the first time in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and then she only appeared again in the seventh film, but we hear a lot more about her in the novels. She was great and had such a fun personality, and I would have loved seeing her more. 

Mad-Eye Moody  

Mad-Eye Moody was one of the best adults in this series because he was just so unhinged. While it wasn't really him in the fourth movie, Brendan Gleeson played the character so well, and then sadly we only see the real version of the auror a few other times, which is frustrating. He's such a great character, and he played such a big part, and movie lovers barely got to know who he was before he was killed off. So sad. 

Cho Chang 

Cho Chang is one of those characters you don't know how to feel about because other than her betrayal of Dumbledore's Army in the fifth film, she's pretty forgettable. The sad part is that she played a much more significant role in Harry's life in the books, but she wasn't in the films as much, aside from a measly love interest that vanishes as soon as it comes. 

Chang paved the way for Harry to wind up with Ginny down the line in the books, but since we don't get as much romance in the movies as we did in the novels, it almost feels forced. We could have been given so much more. 

Dean  

There were plenty of fun Gryffindors that people didn't get to see that much, and one was Dean, a friend of Harry, who had a more prominent role in the books, but we barely saw him that much in the movies. 

Seamus  

We saw Seamus a little more than Dean in the movies, namely when things were exploding in his face, but I can't get over how he appeared way more in the books. And you could believe that he and Harry were friends aside from the few times we saw them together in the movies. 

Rodolphus Lestrange 

Did you know that Bellatrix had a husband in the Harry Potter novels? His name was Rodolphus Lestrange, and they escaped Azkaban together. But he was cut out entirely from the movies. While I would have loved to see him in the films, a part of me is happy because it lets Bellatrix shine. Even so, that interaction would have been fun to see. 

Marietta Edgecombe 

Cho Chang wasn't even the person who revealed the location of Dumbledore's Army in the books. That, my friends, was Mariette Edgecombe, a character that did exactly that but was cut out from the movies because, well, for the drama, I suppose. We could have been given an accurate portrayal of Cho, but nope, she had to be the betrayer. 

Professor Binns 

Few professors were left out of the Harry Potter novels, and one of them was undoubtedly Professor Binns, the history professor of Hogwarts. Would it have been cool to see another ghost? Of course. And not only that, his classes usually offered some pretty funny moments in the books.

Crookshanks

Crookshanks is one of those characters that is way smarter than you would believe. That cat never trusted Scabbers and always chased him. That rat wound up being Peter Pettigrew, so who knows what else this cat could have hunted down. We don't know what happened to the cat after the fifth film, so hopefully, she's just living her life now. I would have loved to see more. 

We were deprived of so many great Harry Potter characters from the movies. The new Harry Potter adaptation is coming to Max, so maybe we'll get to see more of them or see them have more screen time, but until then, a girl can dream. 

Following the news of Michael Gambon’s death, many have paid tribute to the iconic actor. This, of course, includes many from the Harry Potter family as the performer began playing Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Much like the headmaster of Hogwarts, he is a legend, and many, including Daniel Radcliffe and Jason Isaacs, and more, are showing their love and appreciation for him through touching tributes. 

Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, showed his adoration and care for Gambon through a statement to Variety. He explained that working with the late actor on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince specifically was "memorable" and "joyous." He also spoke about collaborating with him for the majority of the franchise writing:

Radcliffe explained that he was "sad" to learn about Gambon's death. However, he noted that he was "so grateful for the fact that I am one of the lucky people who got to work with him."

Also paying tribute to Michael Gambon, Jason Isaacs, who played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, showed his adoration for the actor as he posted to X:

Many of us know the actor for his legendary turn as Albus Dumbledore. However, as Isaacs pointed out, he has a filmography, including films like Gosford Park and shows like The Singing Detective, well worth a lot of admiration. 

James Phelps, who played Fred Weasley in the magical movies, posted a story about shooting Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with Gambon. Along with playing one-half of the Weasley twins, he also worked in the AD department and ended up spending a lot of time with the late actor. He posted the sweet story to X, writing:

Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley, posted a great photo of Gambon as Dumbledore during one of his iconic speeches in The Great Hall of Hogwarts on Instagram. With it, she wrote this loving caption:

Fiona Shaw, who played Petunia Dursley, shared what she’ll remember most about Gambon with BBC Radio 4 (via BBC). She explained:

J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, reflected on Gambon's long career in her tribute to him on X. She posted these kind words about the Dumbledore actor:

Along with many from the Harry Potter cast paying tribute to the performer, many others shared their love for him too. This includes Jared Harris, the son of Richard Harris (who played Dumbledore in the first two films). He had very kind words for the actor who took over the headmaster role after his dad’s death. Reposting an interview of Gambon on X, the actor explained how much he loved his father’s Harry Potter predecessor, writing:

Adding to the list of tributes for the actor behind Albus Dumbledore, the official Harry Potter account released a statement about his death. To pay tribute to the legendary actor, it posted:

We truly lost a legend, but it’s safe to say Michael Gambon’s legacy will live on. Along with cementing himself in cinematic history for his turn as Albus Dumbledore, his long career is also admirable and memorable. Like the celebrities who have shown their love and support for the actor, we here at CinemaBlend also send our thoughts and condolences to Gambon’s family and loved ones. 

If want to go back and see Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore, you can stream all the Harry Potter movies with a Max subscription. 

It’s been over a decade since the final film in the Harry Potter franchise was released into theaters, yet there’s still a lot of magic connecting the people who made them. Through messages on the internet, random meet-ups, and even a whole reunion special, the spell of friendship still runs strong with people like Tom Felton and Jason Isaacs. The man who played Lucius Malfoy himself reminded the world of that fact recently, as he took to social media to commemorate his on-screen son’s 36th birthday. 

Finding himself at a bookstore in his recent travels, Isaacs used the opportunity to show even more support for Felton’s book Beyond the Wand. Instead of the playful look of disgust he previously shared over the book with fellow Potter alum Rupert Grint, the actor behind the Malfoy patriarch took the time to be the sweetest “bad dad” in the world. The result was this charming photo and message, shown below: 

Tom Felton’s friendship with the Event Horizon star is indeed one of the brightest spots in the chummy friendships within the Harry Potter cast. Throughout the 12 years after capping off the adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s work with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, we’ve seen these two pranksters poking fun at their villainous personas time and again. While Draco and Lucius are a prime example of what you wouldn’t want to see in a father/son duo, the Tom and Jason show has been nothing but smiles and fondness.

This is why it was such a beautiful sight to see Tom Felton respond in kind to his fictional father. Sharing the message provided above on his Instagram Stories, The Flash actor took the time to properly thank Jason Isaacs with this short but sweet message: 

A proper Jason Isaacs birthday shout-out is shaping up to be an annual occasion for all Harry Potter fans, and Tom Felton, to look out for. In its own way, that sort of thing is reflective of the most powerful magic of all: love. A friendship that’s still going strong over a decade after it was forged is even more reason to wish for an Isaacs/Felton reunion of some form on screen. 

Should that ever be in the works, let’s hope that the characters they step into fully embody the good nature that these two men share in the real world. Or, if it's a return to their adversarial past, then may it be only the most cutting and cunning affair known to humanity, as their wits are sharp enough to carry such a task out.

As you might be looking to watch the Harry Potter movies to celebrate the season of the witch, you don’t need to know any special spells to conjure this epic tale. All you need is a Peacock subscription, as that’s where all eight parts of this cinematic opus are currently being streamed. 

When it comes to Apple TV+, the platform is known to have plenty of awesome TV shows and miniseries that have become huge hits. We could talk about the major success of Ted Lasso, or maybe other shows such as Five Days at Memorial, but today, we’re going to talk about its latest addition, The Crowded Room. 

The miniseries is a psychological thriller that takes place in New York City. Featuring stars such as Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried and more, The Crowded Room cast is filled to the brim with actors that you’ve surely seen before. Here is why you're likely to recognize them

Tom Holland (Danny Sullivan)

Starting this list off strong is Tom Holland, who is the male lead for The Crowded Room, playing Danny Sullivan. Holland has been in the industry for years, but most recently he’s gained fame for his role as Peter Parker, otherwise known as Spider-Man, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he has starred in three films and appeared in a few others. 

Besides that, Holland has also appeared in a variety of movies, including the video game movie adaptation, Uncharted, Cherry, The Devil All The Time, The Impossible, How I Live Now, In The Heart of the Sea and more. He also had a leading voice role in the Pixar film, Onward, back in 2020. 

He's also had some time in television, including guest roles on TV shows, but he also had a role on Wolf Hall back in 2015, so it’s great to see him back on television. 

Amanda Seyfried (Rya Goodwin)

Next up is Amanda Seyfried, who plays the female lead, Rya Goodwin. Seyfriend has been in movies for years. She had her big-screen debut with the comedy classic, Mean Girls, and continued to appear in many others, such as Mamma Mia! and its sequel, Les Miserables, The Last Word, Ted 2, The Big Wedding, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Things Heard and Seen, Dear John, Gone, Mank and many more. 

Seyfried has also had plenty of experience in television. She had a major recurring role on the popular teen drama, Veronica Mars, as well as a main role on Big Love. In 2022, she had the leading role on The Dropout, which garnered her a Primetime Emmy nomination. 

Emmy Rossum (Candy Sullivan)

Moving on, we take a look at Emmy Rossum, who plays Candy Sullivan. Rossum is sort of television royalty in my eyes, because she portrayed Fiona Gallagher on the popular Showtime series, Shameless, for nine seasons. 

Other than that, she was also the main star of Angelyne on Peacock and guest appeared on many other shows. Rossum has also had a pretty big film career, appearing in movies such as Mystic River, The Day After Tomorrow, Comet, The Phantom of the Opera, Beautiful Creatures, A Futile And Stupid Gesture and more. 

With her appearance in The Crowded Room, she only continues to build an impressive resume showing off just how truly talented she is, and I can’t wait to see what she does next. 

Sasha Lane (Ariana)

Sasha Lane portrays Ariana, and the young actress has been on a roll with her films lately. Some of her biggest roles have been in Hearts Beat Loud, After Everything, the 2019 adaptation of Hellboy, How to Blow Up a Pipeline and Daniel Isn’t Real.

Lane also had a pretty prominent role in Loki (which is getting a second season soon) as Hunter C-20. She was also in the show, Amazing Stories, as well as Conversations with Friends and Utopia.  

Will Chase (Martin)

Next up is Will Chase, who plays Martin. Some of the movies that you might have seen him in before include Shaft, Everyday People, A Warrior’s Tale, and After the Wedding, but television is where Chase really shines. 

He had a main role on Nashville, as well as in Dopesick, and recurring roles on Smash and Impulse, among many other guest appearances on shows such as Blue Bloods, Pan Am, and more. 

Lior Raz (Yitzhak)

The next cast member we’re tackling is Lior Raz, who plays Yitzhak in The Crowded Room. The actor has appeared in a variety of movies and television shows. Some of his most known roles are in films like Mabul, Policeman, Mary Magdalene, Operation Finale, and 6 Underground. 

In terms of television, Raz has appeared in main roles in Faude, Hit & Run, and Prime Minister’s Children. 

Jason Isaacs (Jack Lamb)

Jason Issacs plays Jack Lamb in The Crowded Room, and this is an actor who has been in the business for some time. Many know him the most from the Harry Potter franchise, where he played Lucius Malfoy, but Issacs has been in many other movies. Some of his best roles are in films like The Patriot, Peter Pan, Abduction, Green Zone, The Death of Stalin, Fury, Nine Lives, Green Zone, Black Hawk Down, Look Away, and 2022’s Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. 

Issacs has also had some time in television as well, with a main role in Capital City, as well as on Brotherhood, Star Trek: Discovery, and Good Sam. He also had voice roles in the popular animated cartoon, Avatar: The Last Airbender as General Zhao, and in Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, which was sadly cancelled after one season.  

Christopher Abbott (Stan)

Moving on, we take a look at Christopher Abbott, who plays Stan. In terms of movies, he’s appeared in films such as Art Machine, James White, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, The Sleepwalker, It Comes At Night, The World to Come, The Forgiven, First Man, Sanctuary and more, and he is also going to be in the upcoming Kraven the Hunter movie. 

Abbott has also appeared in a few television shows. These include a main role in The Sinner, a recurring role on Girls, and a guest role on the popular Hulu show, Ramy.  

Thomas Sadoski (Matty Dunne)

Last but not least, we focused on Thomas Sadoski, who plays Matty Dunne. Sadoski did a lot of work in theatre prior to his career in movies and television, but he has appeared in films such as 20 Beats, Company K, The Mimic, Happy Hour, Winter Solstice, Devotion and more. He also appeared in the first two John Wick movies. 

Sadoski also had a recurring role on As The World Turns, and main roles on Life in Pieces, Tommy, and The Slap. 

With such a great cast, it’s not surprising that they’ve done so much in the world of movies and television. And now you just might have found a new favorite show or film to watch – after binging The Crowded Room, of course. 

There are few properties quite as wildly popular as Harry Potter. What started with J.K. Rowling’s novels has grown into a beloved eight-movie franchise, theme parks, video games, and even stage plays. The latter came in the form of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which was a story largely about Draco and Harry’s sons. Fans have been hoping that a movie adaptation comes eventually, hopefully with actors like Daniel Radcliffe reprising their roles. But would actor Jason Isaacs play Lucius Malfoy in a Cursed Child movie? Here’s what he thinks.

Actor Jason Isaacs appeared as the villainous Lucius Malfoy in six of the Harry Potter movies, serving as both Draco’s father and as a Death Eater for Voldemort. In the years since he’s remained close with cast members like his onscreen son Tom Felton. But would he actually be down to return as his signature character from the Wizarding World? The Patriot actor spoke with Radio Times about this possibility, sharing:

How delightfully cryptic. While Isaacs isn’t ruling out playing Lucius Malfoy in a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie, he’s not sure that project will ever happen. After all, it can be hard for movies to adapt stage material, even if it’s within the same beloved franchise. But smart money says fans are going to keep their fingers crossed to see the whole group back together on the big screen.

Jason Isaacs’ comments are just the most recent example of a Harry Potter star being asked about a possible Cursed Child movie. Plenty of his colleagues have been asked this very question, including Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint. The starring cast hasn’t quite grown into the appropriate ages for their characters in the play, so there’s still plenty of time. But the folks at Warner Bros. haven’t given any indication that they’re trying to make the stage productions into a movie.

Perhaps the reason development hasn’t moved forward is because Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is still running both on Broadway and in the West End. It might be a wiser financial decision to produce a movie version after they’ve closed. What’s more, it doesn’t sound like the cast is exactly itching to return to the Wizarding World in such a significant way. But who knows, that might change down the line.

As previously mentioned, The Cursed Child primarily follows two new protagonists: Harry’s son Albus and Draco’s son Scorpius. As those two go through time at Hogwarts and eventually have a time-traveling adventure, adult versions of the original characters are also major roles. That includes Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Draco.

The Harry Potter movies are streaming on Peacock. Be sure to check out the 2023 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. Unfortunately, it looks like the Fantastic Beasts franchise looks dead in the water.