Jason Isaacs may be getting a lot of attention right now for his stellar performance in Season 3 of White Lotus, but we can’t forget when he played Death Eater wizard Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies. That regal stance and sharp delivery he brought out in his antagonist character still gives me chills just thinking about it. But as a Harry Potter TV series is in the works to appear on your Max subscription, the British actor has a wild pick for who he’d like to take on the wizard baddie and I kinda want to see this happen.
While Jason Isaacs didn’t get a lot of screen time in the Harry Potter movies, he still managed to give a memorable performance as Lucius Malfoy. His cold, hard stare into the camera and his authoritative voice when conjuring up evil spells showed you exactly where Draco got his arrogance and bleach-blond locks from. Considering how iconic Isaacs’ role was as Lucius, it’s hard to picture anyone else donning the long blonde wig. However, Variety asked The Patriot actor who he’d pick as his antagonist character in the upcoming Harry Potter series, and here was his wild answer:
Meryl Streep. She can do anything, that woman. There’s literally no limit to what she can do.
Now, this I want to see! We know that Meryl Streep can play one of the best female villains in film history, The Devil Wears Prada’s Miranda Priestly, and a wicked witch in Into the Woods. Let’s not lie – she can play anything, as Jason Isaacs said. I would love to see her wear the long blonde wig and give that signature sneer that Lucius Malfoy gives when things don’t go his way. I know Streep is capable of playing a man considering she once played a rabbi in the HBO miniseries Angels in America. Seeing how unrecognizable she was in that role, it wouldn’t be a far stretch for her to achieve the same effect as the spoiled pureblood wizard.
Meryl Streep really is one of the most phenomenal actresses out there who never gives a bad performance. Her best movies demonstrate her ability to absorb each character’s wide range of emotions, movements, and fine details like a sponge. She made you cry in Kramer Vs. Kramer, laugh in Florence Foster Jenkins, and mad in The Devil Wears Prada. Streep is a master of many accents, can sing and dance, and spans her screen presence across a variety of genres. There’s seemingly nothing this woman can’t or isn’t willing to take on.
The cast of the Harry Potter film series hasn’t held back their opinions of what they’d like to see in the upcoming HBO series. Daniel Radcliffe’s thoughts for the producers of the series include making sure the new child actors still act like kids and Bonnie Wright’s advice for the Max cast is for their interpretation of their characters to be considered. As for Jason Isaacs, his advice for the new show would honestly be no advice:
I wouldn’t have any advice at all. Why would I bother? 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.
It seems to me that Jason Isaacs has full faith in the new Harry Potter team that he trusts they know what they’re doing. So far, we’ve got 3rd Rock From the Sun’s John Lithgow officially cast as Dumbledore who would perfectly portray the wise wizard’s gentle authority and warmth he’d give The Boy Who Lived. There are also reported frontrunners for Snape and Professor McGonagall.
Gangs of London’s Paapa Essiedu is apparently closing in on the new deal as the Slytherin professor and Kaos’ Janet McTeer is reportedly in talks to play the late Maggie Smith’s iconic role. The young actors of the iconic trio haven’t been selected yet but with thousands of kids trying out, I’m excited to find out which of the young talent will fit the magical roles we’ve known and loved.
As wild as Jason Isaacs' fan casting is of wanting Meryl Streep to step into the role of Lucius Malfoy, I would still be intrigued to see that happen. The Academy Award winner has proven time and time again that she’s as versatile as a chameleon on the big screen; why not add the villainous Death Eater to her list of credits? We can see which lucky actors will raise their wands with HBO’s Harry Potter series expected to premiere sometime in 2026.
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