Dominic McLaughlin is on Peacock in the United States now in Grow, giving viewers an early look at the actor two months before HBO's Harry Potter series is due to introduce him as Harry. The film began streaming on October 1, putting McLaughlin on screen with Nick Frost before either steps into Hogwarts.
That timing matters because McLaughlin is already being searched as the boy who will lead HBO's Harry Potter, while Frost is set to take over as Rubeus Hagrid. In Grow, McLaughlin plays Charlie's friend Oliver Gregory and Frost appears as local grower Arlo, a pairing that gives fans a first chance to see them share a frame before the larger Wizarding World spotlight lands on them.
Grow arrives with a little extra weight today because it was nominated for Best Feature Film at the BAFTA Scotland Awards on the same day it started streaming in the United States. The cast is led by Golda Rosheuvel as Dinah Little, with Priya-Rose Brookwell as Charlie, and the film's family-comedy setup around a pumpkin-growing contest gives the streaming release a different kind of hook from the one McLaughlin and Frost will carry into their next project.
The overlap is what makes the release feel sharper than a routine platform drop. Warner Bros.' eight original movies still define Hagrid for many viewers because of Robbie Coltrane, and Frost is stepping into that role with the weight of comparison attached. Grow does not answer whether the two actors will click in Hogwarts, but it does give a first, practical glimpse of how McLaughlin and Frost read together before HBO's series has to carry that chemistry on a much bigger stage.
For now, the preview is already available, and the real test comes in two months when HBO's Harry Potter series is due to introduce McLaughlin as Harry and Frost as Hagrid. If viewers want to see the pair before the robes and the wand work arrive, Grow is the place to do it.
