BU Alum Stars in National Tour of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Meet Aidan Close (CFA’23), who’s playing Draco’s son Scorpius Malfoy
Aidan Close (Scorpius Malfoy) (left) on stage with Emmett Smith (Albus Potter). Photos by Matthew Murphy
BU Alum Stars in National Tour of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Meet Aidan Close (CFA’23), who’s playing Draco’s son Scorpius Malfoy
This article was originally published in BU Today on February 28, 2025. By Bella Gonzalez (COM’25)
EXCERPT
When Aidan Close first stepped into the audition room for the national tour of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, he had read only a handful of the J. K. Rowling books. He wasn’t quite sure what he might be getting himself into. He had his sights set on playing the role of Albus Potter, Harry’s son. But several auditions and callbacks later, he was cast as Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Draco Malfoy, Harry’s bully and an infamous troublemaker throughout the original book series and film adaptations.
For Close (CFA’23), pursuing acting at a professional level has always been his dream, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is his most significant credit to date.
“It just felt too good to be true,” he says during a morning off from performing in LA, draped in a Comfy blanket and sipping a cup of tea. “When you have the original director and the original creative team working with you to cut the script and mold this new version around you, it’s so special.”
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child premiered in London in 2016 and moved to Broadway in 2018 (the Broadway production won six Tony Awards that same year, including Best Play). With more than $270 million in sales and 2.5 million tickets sold, it also holds the Guinness World Record for the highest grossing nonmusical play in Broadway history. The play was written by Jack Thorne, based on a story by Thorne, Harry Potter creator Rowling, and John Tiffany, who is directing the show.