Harry Potter Set Photos Show First Look at Some of the Series’ Most Hated Characters

The production of HBO’s “Harry Potter” television series kicked off this week, and fresh photos from set in London have provided us with a glimpse of the Dursleys for the first time. In J.K. Rowling’s novels, the Dursleys are notoriously disliked due to their harsh treatment of young Harry Potter following his parents’ murder by Lord Voldemort. When Albus Dumbledore learned of this, he sent Harry to live with his only known family members: his aunt Petunia, her husband Vernon, and their son Dudley. Despite the revelation that he was a wizard, Harry still spent several summers with his unkind relatives throughout the series. Now, thanks to the updates from the account @HPMoviesNews, we have our initial look at this unappealing family trio.

In this rephrased version, the images display the entire Dursley clan: Vernon (portrayed by Daniel Rigby), Petunia (Bel Powley), and Dudley (Amos Kitson). These characters were captured on set at London Zoo, recreating a significant scene from the initial book. In this instance, Harry, unintentionally, employs magic to ensnare his annoying cousin Dudley within the confines of the snake enclosure. Interestingly, this moment serves as the first clue suggesting that Harry possesses the ability to converse with serpents (known as Parseltongue) due to being unwittingly transformed into one of Lord Voldemort’s horcruxes at birth.

BREAKING: First Look of the Dursleys.

® Harry Potter | #HarryPotter

— Harry Potter News (@HPMoviesNews) July 17, 2025

The Dursleys Look a Lot Different Than in the Harry Potter Movies

Significantly, the Dursleys are adorned in early ’90s style clothing, sporting windbreakers and bold polo shirts. Their fashion choices, reminiscent of that time period, differ noticeably from their portrayal in the Harry Potter films. This wardrobe choice indicates that the creators of the HBO series are faithfully representing the era depicted in J.K. Rowling’s books, which ran from 1991 to 1998.

It’s been mentioned that each season of the upcoming HBO Harry Potter series will correspond to one of the Harry Potter books. Given this structure, we can anticipate that the series might delve deeper into the Dursleys, as compared to their screen time in the movies. In the eight Warner Bros. films, Richard Griffiths and Fiona Shaw portrayed Vernon and Petunia Dursley respectively, but these films didn’t extensively explore the mistreatment the Dursleys inflicted on young Harry Potter, an orphan. However, as the story unfolds in later books, we discover that Petunia harbored resentment towards her sister Lily, Harry’s mother, for being a witch, and this resentment was unfairly taken out on her own child.

To fully appreciate Harry’s magical journey at Hogwarts, it’s crucial to understand the life he left behind first, which greatly shapes his character. Spending more time with the Dursleys will also heighten the emotional impact of Rubeus Hagrid’s arrival at their home, where he reveals Harry’s wizardry, making that moment even more poignant. Additionally, witnessing Hagrid using his wand-umbrella to give Dudley a pig’s tail will undoubtedly provide an extra sense of satisfaction.

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2025-07-17 23:12