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Miriam Margolyes, known for her role as Professor Sprout in the “Harry Potter” films, was approached in 2023 to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She was offered a role in the 2024 miniseries “Agatha All Along,” to play Lilia Calderu, a centuries-old witch with divination powers. Margolyes declined, and the role was ultimately given to Patti LuPone. Her reasons for declining were that she was tired of witch-related stories and that she dislikes the U.S.

Margolyes told News Corp Australia’s News.com.au in 2024, “They just contacted me and said we’re doing a story about witches. I thought, ‘Oh God, not witches again,’ because I’ve done that with ‘Harry Potter.’” After learning that “Agatha All Along” centered on witchcraft, her interest waned further upon discovering that filming would occur in Atlanta, Georgia. “That of course was a bit disappointing because I don’t like America,” she remarked. “And I didn’t want to be in Georgia for four months, so I just said, ‘Well I want a million pounds,’ and they said, ‘Well, you can have half a million,’ and I said ‘No, I don’t want to do it.’ […] I mean, really, it’s a story about my own greed.”

She did not elaborate on her dislike for the U.S., but the travel time to Georgia was a factor. Although British, Margolyes currently lives in Australia and is now a citizen. A flight from Australia to Atlanta is at least 20 hours. For “Agatha All Along,” the excitement simply wasn’t there for her.

In a separate 2024 interview with Australia’s ABC News Breakfast, Margolyes clarified that her reservations about the “Harry Potter” franchise stem more from the adult fandom than the films themselves. “I’m not unhappy about it. I just think that it’s for children,” she admitted. “If your balls have dropped, then it’s time to forget about it. You know, go on to other things.” She clarified that she considers the movies to be a “wonderful set of films,” but added, “It was 25 years ago. Grow up!”

In a July 2025 interview for the “Gay Old Time” podcast, Margolyes expressed discomfort with the anti-trans statements and activism of “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, although it’s unclear if this discomfort has contributed to her general disdain for the grown-up “Potter” fandom. “I think her opinion is too harsh,” Margolyes stated. The openly lesbian actor added, “I really just feel supportive about this tiny group of people who are trans, and if they want me to use pronouns, I think it’s the right thing to do. […] If you can make people happy, do it.”

Margolyes’ criticisms of Rowling are notable because she’d previously seemed supportive of the author. In 2020, she openly sympathized with Rowling, and in 2022, she declared that “the vituperation that J.K. Rowling has received is misplaced.” By 2024, however, she was defending her fellow “Harry Potter” stars Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Daniel Radcliffe for publicly disagreeing with Rowling’s stances, telling The Telegraph that, “They’re grown up, and they have opinions. So, why can’t they give their opinions? […] They shouldn’t be trammelled because they once were in a film that somebody wrote. […] There are so few trans people. People should be allowed to get on and be who they are, or be who they want to be, without all this nastiness.”

“Agatha All Along” is streaming on Disney+.

Persons: Miriam Margolyes, Patti LuPone, J.K. Rowling, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe

Company Names: Marvel Studios, Disney

Titles: Harry Potter, Agatha All Along

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