Bonnie Wright Hopes Ginny and Harry’s Relationship Is More ‘Nuanced’ in Upcoming HBO Series

Despite many fans preemptively complaining about HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot, the new series gives the show a chance at expanding some of the un-adapted elements of J.K. Rowling’s beloved books, and star Bonnie Wright has some ideas. Wright played Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley’s younger sister, in every single Harry Potter movie, and slowly became a core member of Harry’s group — before becoming his love interest in the later movies. The relationship between Ginny and Harry in the movies is very different in the books, with one of the film series’ main criticisms being their rushed depiction of the romance.

Speaking to Variety during this year’s annual Back to Hogwarts event, Bonnie Wright hopes that HBO’s new series will vindicate Ginny and Harry’s relationship from the books. The new series will re-tell each novel, this time adapting one book per season, rather than condensing them down into feature films.

With the extended runtimes, Wright says there is plenty of opportunity to explore the nuanced aspects of their romance, and allow it to bloom naturally, rather than it being forced into the last few films. When asked what she wants to see in the new series, the actress explained:

“So many things. More of the development of the relationship between Ginny and Harry. There’s nuanced moments of where they begin to fall in love. I think more of that arc of her character becoming this real loyal sidekick to Harry and how she really understands and knows his story and who he is and is the best partner for him. So I just hope we see that evolution of that character — and so many characters. If only we could have had five-hour movies. There are so many characters that have moments I love from the books — Neville and Luna — so I’m hoping, as a fan of the books, that I get to see more.”

There Will Be “More Pressure” on the New Harry Potter Cast

Before the Harry Potter movies were adapted into feature films by Warner Bros., Rowling’s books had already developed a devout following. But the 8 films in the franchise (not including the Fantastic Beasts movies) have become cultural landmarks of the fantasy genre, and enjoy countless annual re-watches from millions — when the franchise hit Netflix earlier this year, the movies dominated the streamer’s Top 10 chart for weeks.

Bonnie Wright doesn’t envy the new cast of HBO’s Harry Potter series. No official casting has been announced for the show yet, but whoever is brought on to the show will not only have fans of Rowling’s books to contend with, but also the fans of the movies. However, the actress hopes that the new cast members don’t feel pressured to live up to the original movies, and put their own spin on the franchise. She explained:

“But I also think it’s such a fun opportunity for these people, whether how they’re cast or how they perform their roles, to just have fun with it and have their interpretation of it. I don’t think I would have any advice, to be honest, because I think it’s so important for them to be in their world and their interpretation of it. And I feel that’s so important, from an actor’s perspective, director’s perspective, to really make it their own. So I’m really looking forward just to being this time on the other side and be the one watching every week on television, and be the audience. And I really hope that the interpretations feel different and alive and new and fresh.”