Recording For Harry Potter’s Audiobook Release Was Way More ‘Real’ Than You’d Guess (And, Yes, Food Was Involved)

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Fans of the Wizarding World have a lot to look forward to with the new Harry Potter series being developed for television. While we won’t likely see that adaptation until 2027 or later, there’s another way to immerse yourself in the story right now: Audible’s full-cast audiobooks. The series boasts an incredible cast, and the actors who play Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger have shared how impressively realistic the production felt.

Frankie Treadaway, Max Lester, and Arabella Stanton will voice the characters of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger in the first three books of a new Audible series (the first is available now). Max Lester told Variety that he especially enjoyed recording scenes where Ron was eating, because the producers provided actual food on set during the recording sessions.

It was so real! It was even better if you did more takes.

He acted exactly like a typical teenager – the more times we filmed a scene, the more snacks the crew brought out! It really felt like he was transported to a magical feast, with food constantly appearing for him.

It’s thankfully a much more pleasant experience than what Rupert Grint and the other Harry Potter actors had to deal with – the set of Hogwarts apparently smelled terrible because food used for props, like meat and fruit, was left out for days during filming.

The production didn’t just feed the actors well to help them get into character; they also provided them with actual wands on set. Arabella Stanton, who voices characters for The Full Cast Audio Editions and will play Hermione in the upcoming HBO series, explained that…

Practicing the wand movements, as if casting a spell, would be really helpful. Honestly, all the small details they provided really allowed me to fully embody the character of Hermione.

These details might seem minor, but the actors—who rely solely on their voices to bring the story to life—felt they made a real difference. Matthew Macfadyen, the voice of Voldemort in the audiobooks, even received a wand to hold in the studio, calling it a “comfort wand.”

The Audible project also features a fantastic cast, including Kit Harington, who’s a big Harry Potter fan, as Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, along with Hugh Laurie as Albus Dumbledore, Riz Ahmed as Severus Snape, Keira Knightley as Delores Umbridge, Iwan Rheon as Remus Lupin, and Mark Addy as Hagrid, plus many other talented actors.

You can now listen to the complete Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone audiobook on Audible, with new installments released each month until May 2026. All eight Harry Potter films are available to stream on HBO Max, and that’s where the new TV series will be available when it premieres.

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2025-11-25 21:41