HBO has found the actress who will haunt one of Hogwarts’ most important bathrooms.
Molly Hewitt-Richards has been cast as Moaning Myrtle in the second season of the upcoming Harry Potter series, according to Deadline. The season will adapt J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ series casts Arthur Weasley, Moaning Myrtle and Colin Creevey.
Molly Hewitt-Richards is Moaning Myrtle.
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— Deadline (@DEADLINE) September 15, 2026
Myrtle is the ghost of a student who died at Hogwarts decades before Harry arrived. She spends much of her afterlife in a girls’ bathroom, where her constant complaints make her easy to dismiss. But when students begin falling victim to a mysterious attacker, Myrtle’s account of her death becomes a vital clue.
Hewitt-Richards has appeared in the British television dramas Code of Silence and Casualty. She takes over a role played by Shirley Henderson in the original films.
Henderson made Myrtle memorable through her high-pitched voice and dramatic reactions. Megan Richards delivers a similarly distinctive performance in the official full-cast audiobooks from Pottermore and Audible. Fans will be watching to see how Hewitt-Richards makes the role her own.
A Ghost Who Holds the Key to the Mystery
Readers of Rowling’s novels know that Moaning Myrtle holds an essential piece of the puzzle in The Chamber of Secrets. As a series of attacks grips Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and Hermione discover that she was killed when the Chamber was opened years earlier.
Myrtle’s recollection of her death helps point them toward the creature responsible and the Chamber’s hidden entrance.
Harry, Ron, and Moaning Myrtle from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Harry Potter, YouTube
That gives her an unusual place in the story. Myrtle can provide comic relief in one scene and remind viewers of the danger facing Hogwarts students in the next. She is also a former student whose murder went unsolved while her ghost remained at the school.
A television season may have more room than the 2002 film to explore that history and Myrtle’s interactions with the living students who visit her bathroom. Whether HBO takes that opportunity remains to be seen.
Fans React to the Casting
Online reactions to Hewitt-Richards’ casting have been mixed. Some fans appreciate that her appearance differs from Henderson’s, suggesting the series is willing to develop its own interpretation of Myrtle rather than copy the films.
Shirley Henderson in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Harry Potter, YouTube
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Although Shirley Henderson was 37 when she played Moaning Myrtle in the original film, some fans have questioned whether Hewitt-Richards looks too old to portray the ghost of a teenage girl. Hewitt-Richards’ age is not publicly available, and viewers have yet to see how Myrtle will look on screen.
Ultimately, the performance will have to balance Myrtle’s sensitivity and comic outbursts with the tragedy behind her death.
More ‘Chamber of Secrets’ Roles Filled
Myrtle was one of three characters announced in the latest round of casting. Rafe Spall will play Arthur Weasley, the father of Harry’s friend Ron, while Jasper Ambrose will play Colin Creevey, a first-year student fascinated by Harry.
They join other recently announced second-season additions, including Kit Harington as Gilderoy Lockhart, Lenny Rush as Dobby and Billy Barratt as a young Tom Riddle. Bonnie Hill has also been cast as Ginny Weasley for the second season.
Harry Potter in the television series – HBO Max
HBO’s first season will introduce Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. It is scheduled to premiere on HBO and HBO Max on Christmas Day.
Viewers have yet to see how this new cast handles the first book. But HBO is already assembling the characters needed for Harry’s return to Hogwarts—and Myrtle’s bathroom will be waiting when he gets there.
What do you think of Molly Hewitt-Richards as Moaning Myrtle? Sound off and let us know!
