Why You Thought Sabrina Carpenter Was In Harry Potter

The beloved Harry Potter films employed tons of child actors, and there was even a rumor that pop star Sabrina Carpenter had a role in the franchise. When the first movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, premiered in 2001, it instantly catapulted the three young lead actors — Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson — to superstardom. In 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery officially confirmed that a Harry Potter TV series adaptation would be coming to HBO Max. Though few casting announcements have been made, whichever actors play Harry, Ron, and Hermione will likely find themselves thrust into the spotlight as well.

Sabrina Carpenter may be most famous for being the Grammy-winning pop singer of songs like “Espresso”, “Please Please Please”, and “Nonsense”, but she started her performing career as a child actor. She earned her first acting credit at the age of 11, appearing in a 2011 episode of Law & Order: SVU. Carpenter’s breakout role would come in 2014 when she joined the Girl Meets World cast as Maya Hart, best friend to protagonist Riley Matthews. Carpenter has several other acting credits to her name, but her rumored ᴀssociation with the Harry Potter franchise is a dubious one.

Sabrina Carpenter Cleared Up That She Was Never In Harry Potter

She Bears A Resemblance To Luna Lovegood Actress Evanna Lynch

In a 2021 Wired “Autocomplete Interview”, Sabrina Carpenter hilariously set the record straight that she never appeared in the Harry Potter movies. The pop star revealed in the episode that a common search about her was, “Who did Sabrina Carpenter play in Harry Potter?” Rather than simply stating outright that she didn’t take part in the franchise, Carpenter had fun with it, saying, “Great question! I was Ron. So, it was a great experience, and I like grew up on that set.”

It’s unknown why this query got so much traction, but some have speculated it’s because Carpenter looks somewhat like Luna Lovegood actress Evanna Lynch, as both women have long, lustrous blonde hair and round, expressive blue eyes. And while Carpenter did not play Luna, Ron, or any other Harry Potter character, she went on to say that she’s a big fan of the franchise, and recounted a trip to the Wizarding World theme park:

“I’m a huge, huge Potterhead. I went to, actually, I was performing close to Universal in Florida, and went to Harry Potter world for the day. And I went into the room where they like choose your wand for you, like it’s a very like, big moment. That wand was chosen for me, and then I brought it home, and now I cast spells on everybody. It’s great.

A-List Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were In Harry Potter

Julianne Hough & Regé-Jean Page Appeared In The Film Franchise

While the only ᴀssociation Sabrina Carpenter has with the wizarding franchise is her devoted fandom, several other famous stars appeared in the Harry Potter movies before they were famous. Dancing with the Stars siblings Julianne and Derek Hough both played extras in the first Harry Potter movies — Julianne was a Gryffindor student cheering on her house at a Quidditch match, and Derek was a Ravenclaw student with an owl on his way home for Christmas.

Stars of popular Netflix series also appeared in the Harry Potter franchise before finding fame on the streaming service, including Bridgerton actor Regé-Jean Page, who appeared as a guest at Bill and Fleur’s wedding in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1. Jamie Campbell Bower, best known for playing Stranger Things villain Vecna, played a young Gellert Grendelwald, also in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1. Bower would go on to reprise his role in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, earning him the distinction of being the only actor to appear in both wizarding franchises.

Harry Potter

Created by: J.K. Rowling
First Film: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
First TV Show: Harry Potter
Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Richard Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Enoch, Harry Melling, Gary Oldman, Robert Pattinson, Warwick Davis, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, David Bradley, David Thewlis, Katie Leung, Jason Isaacs, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jamie Campbell Bower, Timothy Spall, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Mads Mikkelsen
TV Show(s): Harry Potter