New “Harry Potter” star reveals his reaction to getting a letter from Daniel Radcliffe: 'It was insane'

Aidan Monaghan/HBO; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros.

Harry PotterTV starDominic McLaughlin could not believe his eyes when he was handed a letter from the first Boy Who Lived.

Last month, OGHarry PotterstarDaniel Radclifferevealed that hepenned a personal letter to McLaughlin, wishing him well on his Wizarding World journey and officially passing the torch. During a visit to BBC'sSaturday Mash-Up! Live, the 11-year-old actor shared his astonished reaction to getting the note.

"I got a letter from the man himself, from Daniel Radcliffe," McLaughlin said during the interview. "It was insane. I was on the train back up to Glasgow and my Dad tapped me on the train and just gave me this letter."

McLaughlin went on to share that he didn't fully realize what he was reading until he reached the end. "I read it and then I got to the bottom, and it said, 'Dan R,'" he recalled. "I was going mad, but I had to [keep cool]. I was on the train."

Radcliffe, who originated the role of the boy wizard, was the same age as McLaughlin when he began his own eight-movie journey. After beating out thousands of kids for the lead role, McLaughlin is set to headline the series over the next 10 years.

Rob Kim/Getty

Asked how things are progressing so far, the young actor said that filming HBO'sHarry Potterseries has been "going amazing." He added, "It's going really well. I've made good friends with everyone, it's great to be there."

In November, Radcliffe toldGood Morning Americathat he wrote a letter to McLaughlin and got a "very sweet note back" from the young actor. Though Radcliffe has spent the past few years distancing himself from controversial series author J.K. Rowling — whose transphobic rhetoriche has repeatedly condemned— he noted that it felt important to reach out to McLaughlin, who is on the verge of embarking on his own life-changing journey with Harry Potter.

"I don't want to be a specter in the life of these children but I just wanted to write to him to say, 'I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did — I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time,'" Radcliffe said. "I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them. They just seem so young."

He added, "I just look at them and say, 'Oh, it's crazy I was doing that at that age.' But it's also incredibly sweet and I hope they're having a great time."

Radcliffe wasn't the onlyHarry Potteralum to offer words of support.Rupert Grint, who spent a decade as Ron Weasley,penned a few paragraphs to Alastair Stout, who is taking over the role in the HBO series.

"I wrote him a letter, before they started [filming]," Grint toldBBC News. "Passing the baton, as it were."

He shared that while he "can't remember exactly" what he wrote in his letter to Stout, it was "something to that effect" of feeling "really happy for him."

Grunt added, "I'm really intrigued [about] what it's going to be like. It's quite strange, having it, the cycle, happen again. I had so much fun stepping into this world, and I hope he has the same experience."

Aidan Monaghan/HBO

Alongside Stout and McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton completes the Golden trio, taking overEmma Watson's role as the studious Hermione Granger. Between them, the trio beat out 32,000 kids who auditioned for the roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. McLaughlin previously appeared inGrow, a Sky comedy with Nick Frost and Golda Rosheuvel, while Stanton starred as the titular character in a West End production ofMatilda. Stout has no prior acting credits.

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HBO's upcomingHarry Potterseries (currently in production) is fromshowrunner Francesca Gardiner and director Mark Mylod, both also executive producers, and will debut in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max. It has been billed as a faithful adaptation, expanding each of Rowling's seven books into individual seasons.

The young cast of the new series also includes Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, and Amos Kitson portraying Dudley Dursley.

They will be joined by adult stars including John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

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December 01, 2025

New “Harry Potter” star reveals his reaction to getting a letter from Daniel Radcliffe: 'It was insane'

Aidan Monaghan/HBO; Peter Mountain/Warner Bros. Harry PotterTV starDominic McLaughlin could not believe his eyes when he was handed a lett...

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Sarah Ferguson to “Move Into Granny Flat” With Another Royal After Ditching Portugal Plans

Sarah Fergusonhas seemingly abandonedplans to move in with Princess Eugeniein Portugal and is now expected to move into a "granny flat" at the home ofPrincess Beatrice.

According to a source who spoke to theDaily Mail, a "granny annex" is being prepared for the former Duchess of York at Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi's £3.5 million Oxfordshire mansion.

"It would be perfect for the former Duchess as it's close to her daughter but also completely independent of the main house where Beatrice and Eduardo live," the insider claimed. "Sarah would be able to just walk a few yards and be an on-site babysitter for Sienna, whom she simply adores."

The source added that moving in with Beatrice means Sarah can avoid an overseas relocation. "With Eugenie living in Portugal, it makes perfect sense," they explained.

Revealing details about Sarah's suspected new home, the insider said it is a small, one-bedroom outbuilding that was once a cattle shed on Beatrice's Oxfordshire property. Planning documents obtained by theDaily Mailshow that the Princess and her husband recently renovated the outhouse.

"The granny annex seems to be ready to move into now," the source continued, hinting that Sarah plans to move in with Beatrice before Christmas.

All of this comes in the wake of the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal. Earlier this year, he was stripped of his last remaining titles and evicted from Royal Lodge due to his alleged ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The former Prince is expected to enjoy one final Christmas at Royal Lodge—the home he has shared with Fergie for decades, despite their divorce—and will relocate to a property on the Sandringham Estate at King Charles' expense.

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Sarah Ferguson to “Move Into Granny Flat” With Another Royal After Ditching Portugal Plans

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Millie Bobby Brown Reveals She Changed Her Name 1 Year After Marrying Jake Bongiovi

Millie Bobby Brown has changed her name

NEED TO KNOW

• During a new interview, the actress, 21, confirmed that she no longer goes by Millie Bobby Brown, the stage name she's gone by since her debut in Stranger Things a decade ago

• The name change comes over a year after she married Jake Bongiovi

Millie Bobby Brownis no longer.

The actress, 21,married Jake Bongioviin May 2024, and has now revealed that she's changed her name to take on her husband's.

In an interview withVT, herStranger Thingscostar and BFF,Noah Schnapp, was asked what Millie's full name is, and he got it wrong a few times before she corrected him.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

At first, Schnapp, 21, said her full name is Millie Bonnie Brown, but she then pointed out that things had changed, to which he thought she meant she'd added a Bongiovi to the end, making her name Millie Bonnie Brown Bongiovi.

His next guess was Millie Bonnie Bobby Bongiovi Brown, but that wasn't quite right either.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

"Drop the Bobby, drop the Brown," she told him before revealing what her name is now. "It's just Millie Bonnie Bongiovi."

Referencing the repeated sounds in her second and third name, the actress joked that she can now go by "Millie Bon Bon."

Earlier this year, the actress revealed that, although she's always gone by Millie Bobby Brown,that wasn't her actual name either.

In an interview withBuzzFeed UK, she told herElectric StatecostarChris Prattthat her middle name is actually Bonnie, not Bobby, making her name Millie Bonnie Brown. "I've never told anyone that," she said.

She'd decided to go by Millie Bobby Brown instead, she said, "for s--- - and giggles."

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

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The actress married the son ofJon Bon Joviafter three years of dating — first in an intimate ceremony and thenin a larger celebration in Italy— and the couple has sincewelcomed their first child together.

In August, they revealed in a joint Instagrampostthat they had welcomed a daughter via adoption as they asked fans for "peace and privacy" in their new chapter.

She toldBritish Voguethatparenthood so far has been a "beautiful, amazing journey" and that their daughter —whose name they do not plan to reveal— has "taught us so much already."

"Our days are filled with lots of cuddles and laughter and love. It's just endless joy," she said, calling her husband "the most amazing dad."

Read the original article onPeople

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Millie Bobby Brown Reveals She Changed Her Name 1 Year After Marrying Jake Bongiovi

Millie Bobby Brown has changed her name NEED TO KNOW During a new interview, the actress, 21, confirmed that she...

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Supreme Court weighs stopping music piracy without hurting internet access

WASHINGTON – TheSupreme Courton Dec. 1 grappled with how to stop music from being illegally copied and shared without jeopardizing internet access for users who have done nothing wrong.

The court heardCox Communications' argumentthat putting too much of the onus on internet service providers to prevent piracy will lead to broad service cutoffs.

Internet companies wouldn't be able to avoid being sued unless they terminate service for anyone using the same connection after an IP address has been flagged by an anti-piracy company, said Joshua Rosenkranz, the attorney representing Cox.

"That could be entire towns, universities or hospitals," he said of the potential "cataclysmic" consequences.

The lawyer representing the music industry countered that Cox is manufacturing a worst-case scenario after failing to take reasonable steps to respond to repeat offenders of peer-to-peer file sharing – the most common way music is pirated.

Cox accused of helping 60,000 customers illegally share music

The world's leading recording companies and music publishers say Cox helped 60,000 customers distribute more than 10,000 copyrighted works for free, contributing to a problem that robs the industry of billions of dollars a year.

Cox asked theSupreme Courtto intervene after it was sued by Sony Music Entertainment and more than 50 other record labels.

In 2019, a jury sided with the music industry and said Cox owed $1 billion in damages.

The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the damages, ordering a new trial based on reduced violations.

The Supreme Court declined the record labels' request to review whether the lower court was right to throw out one type of copyright violation and agreed to hear Cox's appeal over whether the company can still be held liable for "materially contributing" to copyright infringement.

'You did nothing'

Cox argues that to be liable, it has to actively assist piracy − not just fail to prevent it.

But Sony's lawyers highlighted an email from a Cox manager overseeing compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, who told his colleagues: "F the dcma!!!"

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she's troubled by the evidence she said shows Cox didn't even try to act on the notices it got from an antipiracy company about users downloading or distributing copyrighted music.

"You did nothing," she said.

Rosenkranz, the attorney for Cox, disputed that characterization. He also argued, however, that an internet service provider can't be held liable even if it fails to act when repeatedly notified about a violation.

If that's the case, Justice Amy Coney Barrett asked, what incentive does Cox have to stop piracy?

Rosenkranz said Cox wants to be a good corporate citizen.

Cox backed by Justice Department, X and ACLU

Cox has the backing of theDepartment of Justice, tech companies likeXandGoogle,and the American Civil Liberties Union.

An attorney for the Justice Department agreed that a ruling for Cox would eliminate an incentive for the company to help stop piracy. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, Deputy Solicitor General Malcom Stewart said, if it would prevent "extremely overbroad" terminations of service.

Justice Samuel Alito pushed that point, saying the lower court's decision threatens internet access to universities and entire regions.

"I really don't see how your position works in that context," Alito told Paul Clement, the attorney representing the record labels.

Clement said the court could carve out exceptions for situations like that.

Asked by Barrett what recourse the music industry has if they lose, Clement said record labels will be in "very, very dire straits." Music companies will have little ability to go after piracy on a mass scale and are unlikely to get voluntary cooperation from internet service providers, he said.

Trying to go after individual violators directly, he said, is a "teaspoon solution to an ocean problem."

A decision in Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment is expected by the end of June or early July.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Supreme Court debates curbing music piracy without cutting internet

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December 01, 2025

Supreme Court weighs stopping music piracy without hurting internet access

WASHINGTON – TheSupreme Courton Dec. 1 grappled with how to stop music from being illegally copied and shared without jeo...

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England's resident doctors plan pre-Christmas strikes over pay

LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Resident doctors in England will stage a five-day strike starting on December 17,​ timed just before Christmas, citing the government's failure to ‌make a credible offer on jobs and pay, a union representing them said on Monday. ‌

The British Medical Association, which has been locked in a months-long dispute with the government on behalf of resident doctors, says the government's 5.4% pay offer does not address years of salary erosion when adjusting for inflation, ⁠while the government says the ‌deal is fair and affordable.

In response to the latest strike notice, Health minister Wes Streeting criticised the BMA for choosing ‍to walk out "when it will cause maximum disruption" and "untold anxiety".

"These strikes are in no one's interest and there is no moral justification for them,​" he said in a statement released by his department, adding ‌that the government was open to talks.

Resident doctors, previously known as junior doctors, carried out five days of strike actions last month and another five-day walkout in July after the government said it could not meet their demands for an improved pay deal this year.

Last year the then ⁠newly elected Labour government quickly reached a settlement ​with the doctors for a 22% pay rise ​as part of its pledge to fix the National Health Service and in hopes of drawing a line under a long-running dispute.

The ‍BMA has been seeking ⁠a 29% rise this year to restore pay to what it said was 2008 levels in real terms. Streeting wrote to the union ⁠last month stressing the "enormous financial pressures facing the country mean I am not able to ‌go further on pay".

(Reporting by Muvija M; ‌Writing by Catarina DemonyEditing by Frances Kerry)

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December 01, 2025

England's resident doctors plan pre-Christmas strikes over pay

LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Resident doctors in England will stage a five-day strike starting on December 17,​ timed just b...

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Hong Kong fire survivor recalls agonizing last call with his wife

Hong Kong —Yip Ka-kui told CBS News he was about to take a nap when his wife called him from the other room to say a fire was climbing up the building next door, where their son lived.

"I was so nervous. I immediately got my clothes, phone and went downstairs," he said.

He never imagined that the blaze at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Hong Kong wouldspread so quickly. It tore through bamboo scaffolding, mesh netting covering it, and then foam window coverings that had adorned the sprawling complex's eight buildings for ongoing renovation work.

"I got outside and saw a big fire," he told CBS News on Monday, as the official death toll from the blazeclimbed to over 150. "Fire was spreading everywhere, and I could hear the bamboo exploding. The fire spread to the other block. The mesh caught alight."

That other block was his own building, where he knew his wife was still upstairs. He watched as the blaze spread up the sides, quickly blocking the main lobby.

"I called my wife immediately and said there's a big fire and we have to go now," the 67-year-old recalled through tears. "I told my wife, don't come down."

He had hoped that firefighters would be able to get the blaze under control before it was too late.

On the other end of the phone, his distraught wife, Bai Shui Lin, told him she couldn't move through the thick smoke.

"Then there was so much noise," he said. "I can't hear her anymore … only noise. And then I can't contact her anymore. That's the last call I had with her."

"I kept waiting, hoping the fire would be put out. I thought maybe only the outside would be affected. But the fire just kept getting bigger," he said.

As the blaze spread to seven of the buildings on the complex, Yip watched from behind a police cordon for any sign of his wife being carried out, but he never saw her.

He said he pored over lists of photos and names of victims for days as the death toll mounted, giving her description to nearby hospitals in the hope that she had been rescued.

"I couldn't find my wife," he said through tears. "I tried everything."

Five days later, police confirmed his worst fears in a phone call on Monday. Bai, his wife of 40 years, never made it out of their building.

The couple's two sons had to confirm her identification, but her remains were burned so badly that authorities used an ID card found in her purse to verify it was her.

Yip said she had gone door to door, warning neighbors of the fire that had spread to their building. He said she helped at least three other families make it out before it was too late.

Both of their sons survived the catastrophic fire, but Yip said he was struggling with guilt over the loss of his wife.

"If I'd asked her to leave a minute earlier, I think she would have survived," he said. "But we know her. She wouldn't have left without warning others."

Hong Kong authorities said at least 30 people were still missing on Monday, and recovery teams were still sweeping the seven charred buildings to find victims who failed to escape.

At least 14 people have been arrested for suspected manslaughter, as details of apparent safety regulation violations involving the materials on the outside of the building continue to come to light. Authorities have not ruled out further arrests.

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Hong Kong fire survivor recalls agonizing last call with his wife

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Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton Refute Split Rumors With a PDA-Filled Photo From Their Thanksgiving

The Gist

• Gwen Stefani posted a PDA-filled photo of herself and husband Blake Shelton to her Instagram Story on November 28.

• The couple sparked breakup rumors after skipping the CMA Awards on November 19, even though Shelton was a nominee.

• Stefani left her romantic photo captionless, letting Shelton's kiss on the cheek do the talking.

Split rumors? What split rumors?

Look, when you're a celebrity couple, breakup rumors are consistent and constant—but when it comes toGwen StefaniandBlake Shelton's marriage, Stefani is shutting down any chatter without ever actually uttering a word.

On November 28, Stefani posted a PDA-filled selfie of Shelton giving her a kissto her Instagram Story, writing no caption and letting Shelton's kiss on the cheek speak for her. Of any split rumors, Shelton's rep also toldPage Six, "This is a completely made-up story created solely for headlines and clicks."

Gwen Stefani/Instagram

The breakup rumors ramped up after Stefani and Shelton skipped November 19's CMA Awards in Nashville, even though Shelton was a nominee. Prior to Friday's photo,Page Sixreported that Shelton hadn't appeared on the No Doubt singer's Instagram since June, when Stefani celebrated his birthday. For his part, Shelton wished Stefani a happy birthday when her big day rolled around in October.

Back in March, the duo released a duet, "Hangin' On," which is about a breakup. Shelton was quick to point out that the song was "really no reflection of where Gwen and I are in our relationship—I hope," he toldAccess Hollywood.

"It's a song that pushes us vocally, and we just love the song," he added. "We're to a point in our lives where we just want to do songs that we love, and then see what happens, I guess, later."

The couple married in 2021, and Stefani previously said that Shelton gave her "a second chance at life" after her divorce from Bush frontmanGavin Rossdale, with whom she shares three sons.

"When my family fell apart, it was a catastrophe," she toldThe Guardianin November 2024. "How do you pick yourself up from that? But God put this other person there to love me."

Shelton previously toldPeopleof his Thanksgiving rules with Stefani that the No. 1 tip is "Never say no to any kind of food," he said. "Whatever you want to try, I'll try it. Just bring it on."

"We go all out for Thanksgiving," Shelton continued. "We've got a huge family, so we feel good about making a bunch of food. Normally, it's like, 'Oh damn, we're already out of stuffing? How can that possibly be?' We're excited about it."

Stefani and Shelton originally met as coaches onThe Voicein 2014 and began dating in November 2015. Five years later, Shelton proposed, and the two married in July 2021.

"To me, she's my best friend and everything that I need and lean on," Shelton previously said, adding that their relationship is the "easiest thing" he's ever been a part of.

Read the original article onInStyle

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December 01, 2025

Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton Refute Split Rumors With a PDA-Filled Photo From Their Thanksgiving

The Gist Gwen Stefani posted a PDA-filled photo of herself and husband Blake Shelton to her Instagram Story on November 28. The couple spa...

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