# Jack Whitehall reveals he 'tanked' an audition for Harry Potter > Jack Whitehall admits he 'tanked' a Harry Potter audition as a child after his 'nepo parent' got him a private slot with casting director. - Title: Jack Whitehall reveals he 'tanked' an audition for Harry… - Summary: Jack Whitehall admits he 'tanked' a Harry Potter audition as a child after his 'nepo parent' got him a private slot with casting director. Jack Whitehall… - Keywords: jack whitehall, harry potter, nepo parent, casting director, emma watson, daniel radcliffe, hbo max, harry potter series, nfl, seahawks, seattle, news - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-16138733/Jack-Whitehall-tanked-audition-role-Harry-Potter-child.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-09-17T11:52:05+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: jack whitehall, harry potter, nepo parent, casting director, emma watson, daniel radcliffe, hbo max, harry potter series, nfl, seahawks, seattle, news ## Jack Whitehall reveals he 'tanked' an audition Jack Whitehall says he left his father feeling 'bitterly disappointed' when he 'tanked' an audition for Harry Potter as a child. > Jack Whitehall has revealed he left his father feeling 'bitterly disappointed' when he 'tanked' an audition for Harry Potter as a child ## Nepo parent connection Jack Whitehall's father Michael, an industry agent, got him a one-on-one with a casting director at school. > Jack, 38, landed a one-on-one with a casting director, thanks to the connections of his 'nepo parent' Michael, who was well known in the industry as an agent and producer ## Audition attempt Jack tried out for Harry Potter without reading the book, talking about Orcs during the audition. > I went to this audition, and they started asking me loads of questions about the book and Harry Potter, I was trying to wing it and started talking about Orcs and stuff ## Audition result The casting team said it was the wrong book and tanked the audition, leaving Jack disappointed. > They were like, 'that's the wrong book, mate,' and absolutely tanked the audition ## Emma Watson's casting Emma Watson got cast as Hermione Granger through open school auditions. > I didn't get it and my dad was bitterly disappointed, having given me this platform and opportunity and I abused it and then from the open casting at the schools, Emma Watson got cast as Hermione Granger ## Nepo parenting critique Jack says nepo parenting doesn't always work, using his failed audition as an example. > So, it was a good example why nepo parenting doesn't always work ## Harry Potter franchise Daniel Radcliffe played Harry Potter in seven films, and Dominic McLaughlin will play him in HBO Max's new series. > Of course Daniel Radcliffe went on to play Harry Potter in the seven-film franchise, and Scottish actor Dominic McLaughlin is set to play the boy wizard in the upcoming HBO Max series based on JK Rowling's novels ## Rowling's controversy J.K. Rowling has faced criticism for being transphobic despite defending women's rights. > Harry Potter author Rowling is a fierce defender of women's rights but has been labelled transphobic by some campaigners ## HBO Max series The HBO Max series based on J.K. Rowling's novels is expected to start filming this autumn. > Filming for the second season of Harry Potter is expected to start this autumn, while the first season will come out on HBO and HBO Max on Christmas Day ## Jack's marriage Jack married Essex model Roxy Horner in April at a 17th-century manor in the Cotswolds. > Jack married Essex model Roxy Horner in a lavish ceremony at the 17th-century Euridge Manor in the Cotswolds in April ## Family life Jack and Roxy welcomed their daughter Elsie in September 2023 and popped the question in December 2024. > Roxy and Jack have been dating since lockdown in 2020, going on to welcome their daughter Elsie in September 2023, before he popped the question in December the following year ## Current status Jack says his father gave him a platform he abused, leading to his failed audition. > I didn't get it and my dad was bitterly disappointed, having given me this platform and opportunity and I abused it ## HBO Max casting Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter in the upcoming HBO Max series based on J.K. Rowling's novels. > Scottish actor Dominic McLaughlin is set to play the boy wizard in the upcoming HBO Max series based on JK Rowling's novels ## Rowling's role J.K. Rowling serves as an executive producer on HBO's Harry Potter series. > Rowling serves as an executive producer on HBO's show ## Audition context Jack was sent to school for open casting by his father, who was an industry agent. > They sent one of the casting directors to the school to audition a load of the kids there and my Dad, obviously being in the industry, was like, 'that is a complete waste of time, no one has ever been cast from an open audition' ## Casting director Daniel Radcliffe is the actor who played Harry Potter in the seven-film franchise. > Daniel Radcliffe pictured as Harry Potter with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione ## Key takeaway Jack Whitehall says he bombed a Harry Potter audition as a child because he didn't know the book, leading to his father's disappointment and Emma Watson's casting as Hermione.