Jason Isaacs Pitches Lucius Malfoy for HBO's Harry Potter

While Thailand might be a world away from Hogwarts, Jason Isaacs, who stars in The White Lotus Season 3, has shared his ideal pick for the role of Lucius Malfoy in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV series.

In a new Variety interview focused on The White Lotus, the What If…? voice actor named his choice: "Meryl Streep."

He elaborated, "She can do anything, that woman. There’s literally no limit to what she can do." Streep has previously portrayed a man, playing an elderly male rabbi among other roles in the HBO miniseries adaptation of Angels in America, so she could likely handle the part convincingly.

However, Isaacs mentioned he wouldn't offer advice to Streep or any future actor taking on the role. "I wouldn’t have any advice at all. Why would I bother?" he said. "I know some of the people they’re casting already. They’re brilliant actors. It’s going to be fantastic, and the last thing they need is advice from some old fart like me."

Isaacs first played Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, returning for subsequent films from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire through to the finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. For the new series, only one casting decision has been officially confirmed so far.

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John Lithgow has been cast as Albus Dumbledore, a role originally played by Richard Harris and later by Michael Gambon. Other key roles reportedly nearing final decisions include Severus Snape, originally portrayed by Alan Rickman, and Minerva McGonagall, famously played by Maggie Smith. Reports suggest Black Mirror's Paapa Essiedu is a frontrunner for Snape, while Jessica Jones alum Janet McTeer is similarly linked to McGonagall, though neither has been officially confirmed yet.