In the first year, I was part of the ensemble and I was covering not just Draco, Harry, and Snape.

 In the first year, I was part of the ensemble and I was covering not just Draco, Harry, and Snape. 

So it was quite a big task in that first year! There was a lot to learn because we were creating the show from scratch. We were putting it all together as one big ensemble, but at the same time, I was also having to learn those roles as well. And then from Year Two, which was 2017, I was getting the chance to play Draco, and I've been playing him ever since! What made you want to be a part of the show? It's the most magical world to be a part of! And because at the time, no one really knew what was going to be involved. There were little hints that were being dropped that it was going to involve a continuation of the story. So there was the

 knowledge that there were the seven stories before that, and intriguingly, the last chapter of [Harry Potter and the] Deathly Hallows is called “19 Years Later.” So there were already hints placed in that last book of what might happen in the future, and it was just incredible to think that I could be a part of a world that has captivated so many people, including myself! I first read the first book in 2000, which was actually quite late! So I'd read that first book years before, and to suddenly think that I could be playing some of these characters, including an old version of Draco, was just too good an opportunity to turn down. Is Draco a favourite character of yours? Jonathan Case & James HowardPhoto Credit: Charlie Gray Yes! Draco is such a fascinating character to play because he has so much of rich backstory. And so many people think of him as being the nasty schoolboy of the books, the bully. The antithesis of Harry, and Ron, and Hermione, and the nemesis, of course, of Harry. And that's what makes him so fun to play as an adult because there's all that to draw on, but then we get to see the older version of that character. And we get to see his relationship with those old school enemies and see how those relationships have developed as they've got older and Harry, Ron, Draco, and Hermione have got kids who go off to Hogwarts and start their own adventures. And so we get to live the stories again through the eyes of the kids, but also of the adults seeing how their children are getting on - or not! - at Hogwarts. Did you go back to the original books and

 movies to do research for the show? Yeah. I gradually managed to, because the books get longer as they go on. I started with the shorter, easier, earlier ones and then as the books get on, I was getting deeper and deeper into the stories. By the time I got to play Draco, I had read all the books again. I think I’ve watched the films two or three times anyway, just because they're such great films! I've seen them all at the cinema and I've watched them all again on DVD in the run-up to rehearsals. So I was pretty steeped in the world before we started. But actually, there were such a huge range of actors involved in the show; some of them knew nothing about Harry Potter! And still, to this day, some people know nothing about it. And some people are absolute Harry Potter whiz kids. They know everything. They certainly know more than me, particularly some of the younger ones who joined the company in recent years. They've grown up with the books, and to see the excitement through their eyes is actually partly what makes the job still so much fun to do. What do you think it is that has made you want to stay with this show for so long?