Harry Potter Star’s Return to Career-Defining Role Met With an Overwhelmingly Positive Response From Fans

Jason Isaacs, Helen McCrory and Tom Felton in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

A visibly emotional Tom Felton took to the stage for the first time as Draco Malfoy in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on November 11, drawing a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted nearly a minute. Felton, who played the character in all eight Harry Potter movies, is the first cast member of the blockbuster franchise to return as their character on stage. He is expected to play Draco on Broadway for around 20 weeks; the show has been running successfully since 2018 in the United States, and since 2016 in the United Kingdom. It serves as a follow-up to author J.K. Rowling‘s generation-defining book series, and is set 19 years after the events of the final installment, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

A video of Felton’s grand comeback as Malfoy was shared on the Cursed Child socials. It shows the actor hitting his mark, and then immediately stopping in his tracks as a deafening roar fills the theater. He remains in character, but appears to be holding back his true emotions at the wave of love being thrown his way. It’s only after the crowd calms down that he utters his first line: “I need a favor.” Felton looks an awful lot like Jason Isaacs did as his character’s father, Lucius Malfoy, in the Harry Potter movies. Responding to his return in the career-defining role, Felton previously said, “It’s surreal to be stepping back into his shoes — and, of course, his iconic platinum blond hair — and I am thrilled to be able to see his story through and to share it with the greatest fan community in the world. I look forward to joining this incredible company and being a part of the Broadway community.”

Tom Felton Brought Down the House as Draco Malfoy in His Broadway Debut

Cursed Child follows Harry’s youngest son, Albus Severus Potter, joining hands with Draco’s son, Scorpius, as they bond over their generational trauma. The play was written by Jack Thorne, who gained prominence this year as the writer of Netflix’s Adolescence. The increasingly controversial Rowling also contributed to the story. In recent years, her rhetoric toward the transgender community has put a sour taste in the mouths of Harry Potter fans, even as a television reboot for HBO continues production. Rowling is said to be creatively involved in the show, which will revisit each of the seven books and feature new actors as the fan-favorite characters. Meanwhile, you can watch Felton as Draco on Broadway; he’s also set to appear in a series based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, the parody film Fackham Hall, and the science-fiction film Altered. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.