Almost every child has dreamed, if only for a moment, of living in the world of Harry Potter.
When the cast was announced for the films back in the early 2000s, I remember feeling a pang of jealousy – Emma Watson was fine, but wasn't I the real Hermione Granger? I would have given anything for a casting director to have spotted me and whisked me away to Hogwarts to play the iconic witch.
For three young actors – Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton and Alastair Stout – that fantasy has become a reality after they were cast as Harry, Hermione and Ron in HBO's forthcoming Harry Potter TV adaptation.
The trio went through a process that lasted for months and included several rounds of auditions and workshops.
They were eventually chosen after more than 30,000 children applied to join the wizarding world through an open casting call. What was the process like, and what lies in store for the chosen few?
Daniela Tasker saw the open casting call advertised on Facebook and encouraged her son and daughter to audition.
They were asked to submit two videos – a memorised monologue and a short introductory clip talking about their hobbies. Her son Marcus received a call back.
"Marcus wasn't very interested in Harry Potter but when he made it to the next stage he read all the books, watched the films and went through a phase of loving it," Daniela tells the BBC.
In October, Marcus was sent a script from classic 1982 film ET to perform – but after submitting his video, he didn't hear back.
Despite being "very sad" about the outcome, Marcus is now determined to apply for other acting roles and has his second-round script framed in his bedroom.
Those who made it past the second round of auditions had to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), meaning they can't publicly reveal any information about the casting process.
However, one parent who spoke to the BBC anonymously said their son made it through several rounds of the process and was still attending auditions until recently.
'Dodged a bullet'
The young boy was given a script for the new series and attended in-person workshops with other children.
"We had a glimpse of what the show will be like and we are very excited for it," the parent says. "You can tell a lot of care has gone into the details."
But the parent started to "get cold feet" as the process went on when they realised how life-changing this role would be.
"It started to become more daunting and we realised the huge pressure that would be on our son if he got the role. He was a little disappointed to be unsuccessful but I think we've dodged a bullet."
