Ralph Fiennes joins Cillian Murphy as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series

Voldemort actor Ralph Fiennes is giving Cillian Murphy his blessing to take on the role of the infamous “Harry Potter” villain if the “Oppenheimer” Oscar winner wants to appear in HBO’s upcoming television series. In recent weeks, rumors have been circulating online that Murphy is being considered for Voldemort. Fiennes was asked to respond during an interview on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live.”

“Cillian is a fantastic actor,” said Fiennes. “This is a wonderful suggestion. I would be all for Cillian. Yes.”

Fiennes first appeared as Voldemort in the fourth Harry Potter film, 2005’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and he returned for three more films – Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows. Parts 1 and 2. A Several years before HBO announced it would reboot “Harry Potter” as a television series, Fiennes said diversity that he would definitely be willing to play “He Who Shall Not Be Named” again and there was “no question” about that.

diversity reported last month that Bridge of Spies Oscar winner Mark Rylance was being considered by HBO to play Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series. Warner Bros. Television had not begun negotiations with the actor at the time, but had made contact to gauge his interest in the project and his availability. There is currently no further information about the cast of the series.

Although Fiennes hasn’t said whether he would return to the show or not, it doesn’t seem like it would be a problem for him to come back and work with JK Rowling again. The author is closely involved in the HBO series, despite the ongoing controversy over her views on biological sex and transgender people. Fiennes defended Rowling against backlash in October 2022.

“JK Rowling wrote these great books about empowerment, about little children finding themselves as people,” Fiennes told the New York Times at the time. “It’s about how to become a better, stronger, more morally focused person. The verbal abuse directed at them is disgusting, it is appalling.”

Fiennes continued: “I mean, I can understand a point of view that might be angry at what she says about women. But it’s not an obscene, over-right fascist. It’s just a woman saying, “I’m a woman and I feel that I’m a woman and I want to be able to say that I’m a woman.” And I understand where she’s coming from. Even if I’m not a woman.”

Watch Fiennes’ appearance on Watch What Happens Live in the video below.