Anthony Boyle: “There’s Something About the Role That I Just Fell in Love With”

Similarly to his character in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Anthony Boyle (Scorpius Malfoy) has had to get used to the world watching him. Ahead of the opening of Cursed Child at the Lyric Theatre on Broadway, Boyle has spoken to TodayTix Insider about originating the role of Scorpius, being a Malfoy, and the pressures of Cursed Child.

Despite not initially knowing which character he was auditioning for, Boyle told TodayTix Insider that he fell in love with the role of Scorpius Malfoy almost immediately.

Scorpius loses his mother quite early on in the play. There was just so much pain in him when I read it, and there was a lot of humor, but often people cover up great pain with humor. There’s something about the role that I just completely fell in love with. I just think that I knew who he was almost immediately.

Since originating the role of Scorpius at the Palace Theatre in London’s West End, there has been a lot of hype surrounding Boyle’s portrayal of the character – a portrayal that earned him a number of awards, including the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Add to this the expectation of Potter fans around the world, and it could feel as though all eyes are on him. However, Boyle has revealed that he tries not to think about the wider world of Potter when playing the role of Scorpius.

I focus not on the idea of being a wizard, but on the idea of being this 14-year-old who’s very lost and very mixed up. As opposed to, you know, the weight of the cultural impact that Harry Potter has had, or the gravity of this… It’s all a bit much, isn’t it?

With the opening of the Broadway run of Cursed Child just weeks away, expectations of Scorpius Malfoy, and of Boyle’s performance, are once again growing. However, rather than focusing on these expectations, Boyle is choosing to look at how he has developed as an actor since he was cast in the original production. From leaving drama school early to be “thrown into this massive beast” and thinking every day that he was going to be fired, Boyle now feels more confident in the role of Scorpius and taking on such as large-scale production.

Now, during the rehearsal process and tech, I’ve been able to just be a lot freer and a lot more confident with the things that I’m doing.

We can’t wait to see Boyle reprise the role of Scorpius on Broadway! Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is currently in a run of preview performances and officially opens on April 22 at the Lyric Theatre.

Do you have tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? Are you excited to see Anthony Boyle return as Scorpius Malfoy?