Iconic Harry Potter Actor Gets His Fifth Redesign In 25 Years

Published Sep 10, 2026, 4:41 PM EDT

Angel Shaw is a Lead Writer and Critic on ScreenRant's TV team, covering new-release and classic TV shows across all major streaming platforms. She has been a writer with ScreenRant since 2022 and specializes in Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and fantasy. 

Angel holds a bachelor's degree in language interpreting and is passionate about all things culture and communication—especially in how it relates to popular media throughout history (from Shakespeare to Friends to Game of Thrones).

There is one actor who will have officially appeared in each of the Harry Potter movies as well as HBO's upcoming TV show, and he has undergone yet another redesign. A significant aspect of discomfort as we approach the upcoming TV remake is that the vast majority of the characters we know and love will look quite different. It's especially strange for the adults of Harry Potter, since actors like Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, and Robbie Coltrane undeniably defined their roles. New performers have now come in to take their place, and that's an odd thing to wrap our minds around.

Thankfully, there will be one familiar face in the wall of uncertainty. HBO's Harry Potter was lucky enough to get actor Warwick Davis to return to once again play Professor Flitwick. Warwick is an absolute icon in the fantasy and sci-fi genres, having worn just about as many hats as one can in the industry. He was the star of Willow, took on several key roles throughout the entire Star Wars franchise, and appeared in every one of the eight Harry Potter movies, not just as Flitwick, but as Griphook and another Gringotts Bank teller as well.

Throughout his tenure as Flitwick, Warwick underwent a few major redesigns. Every director brought something new to the series, so while Davis' character is a wrinkled, balding, bearded figure in the first two Harry Potter films, he became a younger, black-haired, mustached professor in the remaining six. That wasn't his only big shift, however, as he initially only gave his voice to Griphook before later taking on the physical role for the character that was once again redesigned. Suffice it to say, Davis has spent a lot of time dealing with Harry Potter costume departments.

That brings us to the Harry Potter TV show. The newest trailer for season 1 brought a handful of official images from HBO, one of which features Davis' newest version of Flitwick in the background. It appears that HBO went for something in between the films' two Flitwick designs. Davis again sports a mustache and smoothly parted hair, but it's all grey and white rather than that stark black. The general concept is a bit more ordinary and professorly, though there is no doubt that Davis will bring his well-practiced magic to the role regardless.

Warwick Davis Is A Huge Asset To The Harry Potter TV Show

No matter who Davis is playing or what the character looks like, his very presence on HBO's Harry Potter remake is deeply valuable. As previously stated, this actor is an icon who has taken on more roles in film and television than many people will have even noticed. Davis has close to 100 acting credits in total, so there's no doubt that he is an absolute pro. Of course, the same was true for many of the actors of the Harry Potter films, but Davis was in a unique position compared to the rest to return.

Because Professor Flitwick underwent so many changes in the Harry Potter movies, and because neither version looked much like Davis himself, the actor could easily enter the new series as a nostalgic callback without being too similar to the original. Flitwick, looking exactly as he did in most of the movies, among all these new faces would have quickly pulled viewers out of the magic, but a new design on a familiar actor should have an entirely different effect.

Overall, it's going to be a somewhat painful experience as we adjust to a new crowd of faces in HBO's Harry Potter. This is a world we thought we knew, but to finally bring the story to the screen in its entirety, new actors are a necessity. Davis is a chance for even a small reprieve from that discomfort, so his face, regardless of how it is styled, will be a welcome sight.

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