Fresh from graduating drama school, Harry Acklowe is already taking center stage. Last October he joined the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as Scorpius Malfoy. We had the opportunity to sit down and talk with him about his relationship with his character, the people that led him to where he is now and his passion for all things theatre!

How are you and how is the show doing? 

It’s going really well! The year 7 cast, which I’m a part of, joined in October and it’s been a couple months now doing the show and it’s fabulous. The magic hasn’t worn off, if you pardon the pun! (laughs). It’s a joy of a show for so many people, whether it be families or couples on a date night. There are just so many different people coming to see the show! It’s always so rewarding as an actor because everyone seems to love it. We always get great reception from the audience. It’s wonderful and it keeps the magic going! 

You’ve made your West End debut with Scorpius. How is it like to start off with such a big production? 

It definitely felt like starting my career by jumping in at the deep end. It was a big task to undertake at the start of the process because it’s not just like learning a show, you’re learning too! That is also why the rehearsal period was so long, we were basically doing an act a week! I went to drama school, so I’m used to working in an environment with professionals but that being my first kind of professional experience was intense. Enjoyable, but intense! 

Even though it was a lot of hard work, I look back on it now with a lot of fondness. There were a lot of new people joining the show and a couple of us were making our West End debut or professional debut. There was this group of us who were in a similar position and it was so nice to have this group of people around me who were living this whirlwind experience as well. There is not a day that goes by where I don’t feel incredibly fortunate to be doing what I’m doing now. It’s a dream come true to be honest. 

Was it daunting to step into a world and show that carries so much legacy? 

I saw the show about eight months before I started auditioning for it. I was super aware of what the show was and how epic of a production it is. The thing that was lovely is that there are so many different elements within the show: the acting, the music, the movement pieces. What is so comforting is that all the way through the process, there were people supervising each department. And each person was absolutely incredible in their field. We truly felt supported by those people who have been part of the production for years. 

There are some magic tricks that are really difficult and there were a couple times where I was like “I don’t know how I’m going to get it, I don’t think I’ll be able to do it” and everytime they said “No, this happens every year. You just have to get your head around it.” and they were completely right! I feel really settled into the show now and I feel very confident with all the different elements. Don’t get me wrong, everytime I come into the theatre I think, “ok, I have this beast ahead of me” but it’s a lot of fun and an adventure to take on, as big of a challenge as this show is! 

It’s a team effort to make it look so smooth and easy every night! 

Teamwork is 100% the biggest element of the show and the magic that goes on behind the scenes. The whole show is choreographed both on stage and backstage! The show runs at such a pace, there is so much going on backstage to make it look so smooth on stage! 

Scorpius is obviously a relatively new character in the Wizarding World, but with already such a huge fan base and backstory. How did you approach that character as an actor and what’s your relationship with him? 

Scorpius is a brand new character introduced in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and unfortunately, he carries the burden of his last name being Malfoy. Everyone has a preconceived notion of the kind of person he is going to be. But what is so lovely about Scorpius is that he couldn’t be further away from what a Malfoy could be! That’s what I love about playing the part, I have the job throughout the show to redeem a family that has been tarnished with a bad reputation for so long and change their perception of what a Slytherin could be. 

Until his first day at Hogwart, Scorpius had a not particularly happy life. He was very secluded and had a lot of family issues. For him, what’s so great is that Hogwarts is his chance to escape. It’s a bit like how it was for Harry Potter! The thing I really enjoy about Scorpius is that he’s been sheltered in the Malfoy manor while growing up, he’s been reading the wizard equivalent of the Harry Potter series and now he gets to live what so many of us wanted to experience while growing up! I remember being eleven and waiting for my Hogwarts acceptance letter but he actually gets to have that. Through him, you kind of get to live that as well. That’s lovely!  

He is a very physically and vocally demanding character. How do you keep that energy up for 5 hours, 3 times a week? 

I’m going to be honest with you: I probably have had four hours of naps since the last show on Sunday! (laughs). But it’s like anything: good food, keeping hydrated, lots of sleep. I always say, on a show day, that if I don’t get a good eight hours of sleep, I’ll be pulling from my reserve the next day. Scorpius is a very demanding role mentally because of the concentration you have to have throughout all of it. Because it is so fast-paced, if you’re not standing in the right place, there is a very good chance that a flame might go off on you or something like that! You need to stay on the ball. 

I hear that song at the beginning of Act 1 while I’m standing in the wings, and I see the show get going and it feels like a spell captures me in that moment. I always think “ok, great, let’s do this!” and every other thought goes out the window and I’m ready to tackle the show for the day!

What’s so nice also is that Scorpius is a character that a lot of people are rooting for. I always feel a sense of duty to transport the audience with the character and I think when you feel that kind of responsibility, you forget about how tired you are from the show the day before. You just want to do a good job for everyone watching. 

You quickly grow fond of Scorpius while watching the show. He’s also the one that makes the audience giggles most of the time! 

Well, in the original trio, Harry had Ron, who was a more chaotic character and one that made us laugh. And then, there was Hermione who was the very logical and intelligent one. What’s funny is that Scorpius has elements of the two of them! Albus obviously has the bravery that Harry had and Scorpius absolutely does not have that in him. (laughs). After a while, I’ve learned to understand those bits of the character and it’s nice! 

Albus and Scorpius’ relationship is the core of the show. How did you and Ellis build that relationship? 

The funny thing is that I actually made friends with Ellis very early on in the audition process. I made an instant connection with him and as we were going through the various rounds, we have been texting each other like, “Did you get it? Great, I’ll see you there!”. And then, when I found out I got the job, I was not allowed to tell anyone so I couldn’t tell him either! It was quite strange because we went from talking to each other a lot to not so much, because he wasn’t allowed to talk about it either. Until one day, at a costume fitting, I saw him walk past and we were like “What are you doing here? Did you get the job? Yeah, and did you?!”. That’s how we found out we were about to work together for a whole year! (laughs). 

My experience and this whole job is so dependent on this relationship between Albus and Scorpius. I spend my whole days with him and he’s absolutely such a lovely boy! The chemistry you see between the characters on stage is completely the same off stage. We’re at this point now where we can just look at each other and know exactly what the other is thinking (laughs). Having that nice friendship off stage truly translates on stage. It’s a real treat to be able to perform with a good friend everyday! 

Scorpius is a character that allows himself to just be himself. How do you think that mindset resonates with the audience? 

I look back on what I was like at Scorpius’ age and I think I was also a little bit strange. I 100% admire Scorpius for his ability to unapologetically be himself. Don’t get me wrong, throughout the show, the other kids are not always receptive to him and that’s a big part of his personal journey, learning how to deal with the difficult thing of being a teenager in school. He never loses that spark in him and at the end of the day, that’s the thing that enables him to take on this massive challenge. He isn’t afraid to be himself and it’s endearing about the character! 

A lot of the time, we watch him fail and like so many of us, when we are trying to be friends with someone, we end up saying the wrong thing or making a joke that isn’t funny. Everyone can see that part of themselves in him, at least I see myself! But we’ve all been there! 

At the end of the day, it’s being a lovely person but not always knowing how to put that into words. (laughs). 

Scorpius obviously looks up a lot to his dad. Do you also have people in your lives that have inspired you and let you to where you are now? 

Throughout my whole life I’ve been fortunate to have those kinds of people. I started doing theatre when I was five and I remember my first ever session, my mom took me along and I was just crying! (laughs).

You have those people along the journey of your life that you don’t realise at the time but actually are changing the whole trajectory of your life. I had a teacher at preschool who had a love for theatre and he put on all these productions with those preschool children and what he achieved was absolutely incredible. We also had a teacher at this school and she said to my mom, “have you ever thought about putting him into performing because he has a natural performance spark in him” and let me tell you, my brother is a massive football player and my mother was like “No, never really thought of that but great, let’s do it!”. 

Then I joined this theatre group called “Plymkids”, that was the thing that then enabled me to grow in confidence throughout the years because it was run by people so passionate about theatre. I remember one time we did Cats The Musical when I was about 10 and they had, like, hundred kids in cats costumes – thinking back on it it probably looked terrible!- but at the time we thought it was amazing and everyone was so encouraging! 

I didn’t really have a straightforward path to drama school right after. I did a foundation course because I felt like I needed to upskill before I was ready to do the degree. I ended up on the reserve list and thought “I’m not going to be able to get it.” but I had wonderful tutors at my college who were really encouraging me to just keep going. Next thing I know, I booked Harry Potter and the Cursed Child a week after I finished drama school! 

Again, there are so many people within the cast that are so encouraging. It’s a really supportive environment. There are a lot of generations within the cast too – we go from the young Harry Potter who is 12 or 13 to the adults. It spans decades between the youngest and the oldest members of the cast! It’s wonderful to have so many different people who have had different careers and to be surrounded by them. That’s what is beautiful about being a performer, you are also inspired by the people that you interact with throughout your whole life and lead you to where you are now. I’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of wonderful creative people along my journey that have allowed me to get to where I am now. 

Harry’s run-through

If you would play any other character in the show, who would it be? 

Hermione Granger! 

Favorite spell? 

I only ever cast one in the show, so I’ll go with this one: Molliare! 

Relationship wise, the golden trio or Scorbus? 

Scorbus. 100%. 

How would you describe the show in 3 words? 

Epic. Adventure. Family!