Jason Isaacs Chooses Unexpected Actor for Lucius Malfoy in HBO's Harry Potter Series

Thailand may be a world away from Hogwarts, but that hasn't stopped Jason Isaacs, star of The White Lotus Season 3, from sharing his thoughts on who should take over his iconic role as Lucius Malfoy in HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV series. In a candid interview with Variety focused on his new project, Isaacs suggested none other than Meryl Streep for the role.

"Meryl Streep," Isaacs declared. "She can do anything, that woman. There's literally no limit to what she can do." This isn't the first time Streep has ventured into male roles; she previously portrayed an elderly male rabbi among other characters in the HBO miniseries adaptation of the epic play Angels in America. Given her versatility, it's clear she could bring a unique twist to Lucius Malfoy.

Despite his strong recommendation, Isaacs isn't offering any advice to whoever steps into his shoes. "I wouldn't have any advice at all. Why would I bother?" he remarked. "I know some of the people they're casting already. They're brilliant actors. It's going to be fantastic, and the last thing they need is advice from some old fart like me."

Isaacs first portrayed Lucius Malfoy in the second Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and continued to play the character through to the final installment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. As for the upcoming adaptation, only one casting has been confirmed so far.

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John Lithgow is set to take on the role of Albus Dumbledore, a character previously brought to life by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon. While no other castings have been officially confirmed, there are strong rumors that Black Mirror star Paapa Essiedu is close to being cast as Severus Snape, originally played by Alan Rickman, and Jessica Jones star Janet McTeer might portray Minerva McGonagall, originally played by Maggie Smith.