“Harry Potter” TV Series' Ginny Weasley Actress Exits Show Before Season 2 Due to 'Unforeseen Circumstances'

Brenton BlanchetMon, May 18, 2026 at 7:39 PM UTC

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Gracie Cochrane of 'Harry Potter'
Credit: Courtesy of HBO -

Actress Gracie Cochrane has exited Harry Potter

She plays Ginny Weasley in season 1 of the upcoming HBO adaptation, and she announced her departure from the show on Monday, May 18

“We support Gracie Cochrane and her family’s decision not to return for the next season of HBO’s Harry Potter series, and we are grateful for her work on season 1 of the show," HBO said in a statement

HBO's Harry Potter series will recast the Ginny Weasley role for season 2.

Gracie Cochrane, the actress playing Ron Weasley's younger sister in the upcoming first season of the TV adaptation has abruptly exited the series.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Cochrane and her family said the young actress "made the challenging decision to step away from her role as Ginny Weasley in the HBO Harry Potter series after season 1,” citing "unforeseen circumstances."

“Her time as part of the Harry Potter world has been truly wonderful, and she is deeply grateful to Lucy Bevan and the entire production team for creating such an unforgettable experience," the statement continued. "Gracie is very excited about the opportunities her future holds.”

Tristan Harland, Gabriel Harland, Ruari Spooner, Gracie Cochrane and Alastair Stout
Credit: Courtesy of HBO

HBO said a statement: “We support Gracie Cochrane and her family’s decision not to return for the next season of HBO’s Harry Potter series, and we are grateful for her work on season 1 of the show. We wish Gracie and her family the best.”

Cochrane's exit comes seven months before the latest adaptation of the franchise hits HBO on Christmas 2026. The eight-episode first season is titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and shares a title with the first book in the series (which in the U.S. is known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone).

Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout of 'Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone'
Credit: HBO

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The cast features Dominic McLaughlin as the titular young wizard, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, and Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy. John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Katherine Parkinson and Bel Powley are among the other cast members confirmed to star in the series.

Ginny's role expands in the second book of the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The new series — which will adapt each of J.K. Rowling's seven books into separate seasons of television — has already scored an early renewal for its second season, and Variety reports it will begin filming in the fall.

HBO released the first teaser trailer for the series on March 25. After production was underway, original Potter star Daniel Radcliffe reached out to McLaughlin, 12, to wish him well.

“I know a few people who are working on the production, so I wrote to Dominic and I sent him a letter and he sent me a very sweet note back,” Radcliffe revealed on Good Morning America in November. "I just wanted to write to him to say, ‘I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did — I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time.'"

McLaughlin called it "insane" to hear from Radcliffe. "My dad just tapped me on the train and he just gave me this letter. I read it and then I got to the bottom, and it said, ‘Dan R.’ I was going mad, but I had to keep it [cool]. I was on the train," he said on U.K.'s CBBC show Saturday Mash-Up! Live.

The Harry Potter series arrives on HBO Christmas 2026.

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