Tom Felton’s emotional return to Harry Potter halted mid-show by crowd reaction

Tom Felton returned to his role of Draco Malfoy for the first time in 14 years last night, in Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child theatre production.

The 38-year-old actor entered the stage in character, with his hand poised formally on his torso, in a stance reminiscent of Jason Isaac’s portrayal of Malfoy’s unforgiving father Lucius Malfoy in the films.

But as he stepped onto stage as Draco, Tom was forced to pause for quite some time as the crowd erupted into a huge wave of cheers and even screams, as he looked moved by the reaction, pausing in character to take it all in.

Eventually, the crowd reaction settled, and Tom was able to get into his role once more, but fans noted how emotional he looked at the reaction.

‘Those screams …I can relate to that, will be doing the same if I were there,’ wrote pramaisshelarinda on Instagram.

‘Can’t believe I was there to witness this, what a night,’ said adventuresofwander, while t22feltonedits said: ‘I started crying immediately as I saw his reaction to the crowd cheering.’

‘HE DEFINITELY WANTED TO CRY OH MY GOSH!!! I NEED TO GO BACK AND SEE THIS,’ raved kennedy_grace2005,

‘This clip brought me tears idc what y’all said about him being stuck in the character, THIS MEANS SO MUCH TO ME,’ said @vernonkemang, while @RipleyTank84 said on X: ‘Awww this brought tears to my eyes. You know he trying his best to hold it together right there. Stayed collected and professional though.’

In the broadway show, co-devised by Harry Potter creator JK Rowling, Tom plays a grown up Hogwarts bully Draco, 19 years after the events of the seventh and final book, with Ministry Of Magic employee Harry and his wife Ginny waving off their youngest son Albus Severus to school.

Rachel Christopher and Daniel Fredrick play Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley respectively, with Janae Hammond as their daughter Rose Granger-Weasley, while Felton plays Draco opposite Aidan Close as his son Scorpius Malfoy, who befriends the young Potter.

The two-part play, which stretches over five hours, sees Albus struggle at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with the weight of his family legacy and go to extreme and dangerous lengths to right the wrongs of the past.

According to the production, Tom is the ‘first actor from the films to reprise’ their role on stage, in what is Felton’s Broadway debut.

Tom said on the announcement: ‘Being a part of the Harry Potter films has been one of the greatest honours of my life.

‘Joining this production will be a full-circle moment for me, because when I begin performances in Cursed Child this fall, I’ll also be the exact age Draco is in the play.

‘It’s surreal to be stepping back into his shoes – and of course his iconic platinum blond hair – and I am thrilled to be able to see his story through and to share it with the greatest fan community in the world.

‘I look forward to joining this incredible company and being a part of the Broadway community.’

Tom made his West End debut in the supernatural thriller 2:22 – A Ghost Story in 2022.

The production will run with Tom for a 26-week limited engagement through to May 10 2026.

The cast is led by John Skelley as Harry Potter, Trish Lindstrom as Ginny Potter, and Emmet Smith as their son Albus Potter.

Since the ending of the film franchise, Tom has been in 2011’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes and had recurring roles in the TV series Murder In The First, The Flash and Origin.

He has also used his voice in the Harry Potter video games, based on the movie, and featured in the special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts alongside Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, who played Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Tom’s decision to take part in JK Rowling’s stage play caused backlash among some Harry Potter fans, given the author has been at the centre of transphobia controversy for several years.

While attending the 2025 Tony Awards, Tom was asked if the controversy surrounding Rowling had impacted his decision to return to the franchise.

Tom told Variety he was simply ‘not really that attuned to it’ and praised Rowling for ‘bringing the world together’.

He said: ‘I have not seen anything bring the world together more than Potter. She’s responsible for that, so I’m incredibly grateful.’

Other actors taking part in the HBO Harry Potter TV show have also faced backlash.

Those cast in the show include John Lithgow (Albus Dumbledore), Paapa Essiedu (Severus Snape), Nick Frost (Rubeus Hagrid), and Bel Powey (Petunia Dursley).

This comes after Keira Knightly addressed criticisms for voicing Professor Umbridge in Audible’s seven-part audiobook adaptation of the wizarding franchise.

The Love Actually star said she was ‘unaware’ that Potterheads have been boycotting the franchise in solidarity with the trans community.

‘I was not aware of that, no,’ Knightley said in an interview with Decider.

She continued: ‘I’m very sorry. I think we’re all living in a period of time right now where we’re all going to have to figure out how to live together, aren’t we?

‘And we’ve all got very different opinions. I hope that we can all find respect.’

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