Miriam Margolyes has shared some scathing words for the adult fans of the Harry Potter franchise.

The 82-year-old veteran actress starred in the popular fantasy film series (2001-2011), which was based on the eponymous novels by British author J. K. Rowling.

Margolyes played Professor Pomona Sprout, a Herbology teacher who taught students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - a fictional boarding school of magic.

Her standout moment in the beloved movies was during 2002's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when she taught then second-years Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) how to handle Mandrakes, a screeching magical plant.

The BAFTA-winning actress reprised her role in the franchise's final movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - which premiered in 2011 - but had no speaking part.

Despite insisting she was "very grateful" to have been a part of the popular film series, Margolyes admitted she felt its fans should be "over" it by now as it was "for children".

"I worry about Harry Potter fans because they should be over that by now," she said during an interview with New Zealand's 1News. "It was 25 years ago, and it's for children. I think it's for children."

Watch her interview below: 

Margolyes explained that people who grew up with series and continue to be obsessed with them well into adulthood confuse her. She pointed to some of the requests she has received from fans on Cameo - which is personalized videos created by entertainers - and remarked: "They get stuck in it."

"I do Cameos, and people say, 'Oh, we’re having a 'Harry Potter-themed wedding',’' and I think, 'Gosh, what’s their first night of fun going to be?' I can’t even think about it. No," she quipped.

Although she acknowledged that the franchise is "wonderful," Margolyes reiterated that "it’s over."

This is not the first time the Call The Midwife actress has spoken out about Harry Potter being "over" as she shared a similar sentiment with Vogue UK in July 2023.

Speaking to the publication, she admitted that her feature in the two movies introduced her to an entirely new generation of young people but it "doesn’t mean as much to me as it does to them".

"For me, 'Harry Potter' wasn’t important," she savagely revealed. "I was very glad I got the part and I enjoyed being in it and meeting all the people, but it’s not Charles Dickens."

But despite what Margolyes thinks, the franchise seems far from over as Warner Bros. and Max are developing a seven-season series based on the books. The series will feature an all-new cast and is eyeing a 2026 release.

"We spent some real time with J.K. and her team," Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said, per Variety. "Both sides are just thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great, and we couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead. We can’t wait to share a decade of new stories with fans around the world on Max."

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Miriam Margolyes has heartbreakingly admitted that she "doesn't have long left to live" in a raw health update.

The 83-year-old star, best known for her role as Professor Pomona Sprout in the Harry Potter franchise, is currently living with spinal stenosis - a condition that narrows the spinal canal, causing pressure on the spinal cord and nerves.

Despite her diagnosis, Margolyes has remained active in the entertainment industry.

In addition to her acting roles, Margolyes has earned significant income through her memoir and fan interactions.

According to reports, she made nearly $500,000 last year from her memoir alone, and since 2020, she has earned around $700,000 by recording personalized videos for fans on Cameo.

However, despite her recent financial success, Margolyes has spoken about her concerns over the future, particularly regarding her health and the potential need for care.

Speaking to the Telegraph earlier this year, she shared her worries about being able to afford the care she may require as her condition worsens.

“I’m worried that I won’t have enough money for carers when I finally get paralyzed or whatever it is that’s going to happen to me,” Margolyes revealed.

Spinal stenosis, which causes numbness, pain, and limited mobility, has impacted Margolyes' daily life, but she remains determined to keep working.

“When you know that you haven’t got long to live - and I’m probably going to die within the next five or six years, if not before - I’m loath to leave behind performing. It’s such a joy,” she said

She finds the physical constraints of old age “limiting and depressing”, she added.

“I want to be able to play parts that aren’t just sitting in wheelchairs, but I’m not strong enough.”

In addition to her health revelations, Margolyes has also raised eyebrows with her comments about the enduring popularity of Harry Potter.

Known for her role as the Herbology teacher in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Margolyes expressed surprise at adults who remain deeply invested in the series.

“I worry about Harry Potter fans because they should be over that by now,” she said in an interview with New Zealand’s 1News. “It was 25 years ago, and it’s for children. I think it’s for children.”

While acknowledging her gratitude for being part of the iconic franchise, Margolyes admitted she is perplexed by some of the requests she receives from fans, particularly through Cameo, where she creates personalized messages.

“They get stuck in it,” she remarked, describing instances where fans tell her they are having Harry Potter-themed weddings. “I think, ‘Gosh, what’s their first night of fun going to be?’ I can’t even think about it. No.”

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Miriam Margolyes stars in British Vogue's latest issue alongside a range of other celebrities in honor of Pride Month.

Margolyes, best known for her portrayal of Professor Pomona Sprout in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, bared it all in a nude photoshoot for the outlet to celebrate what it means to be a queer icon.

The 82-year-old was featured alongside the likes of actress Janelle Monáe, singer Rina Sawayama, The Last of Us’s Bella Ramsey, Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa, and House of the Dragon’s Emma D’Arcy, who all graced their very own covers for the special issue.

Dubbed the country's "naughtiest national treasure", the Margolyes posed in a series of risqué snapshots, the cheekiest being a photo of her posing naked with a pair of iced Belgian buns to cover her breasts - a particularly fitting shot for a woman known for her tongue-in-cheek charm.

Margolyes has been known to be somewhat candid often struggling to filter her thoughts, but that's one of the reasons we love her so dearly.

In the interview, the Ladies in Lavender star opened up about what it means to be gay and Jewish while also being in the spotlight.

"I actually find lesbians a bit on the boring side, because they’re a bit heavy-handed about it all," Margolyes admitted.

"I think gay people are very lucky, because we are not conventional, we are a group slightly apart. It gives us an edge. We’re good artists, we’re good musicians," she continued. "And I like being gay. I wouldn’t want to be straight for anything."

However, her sexuality was seemingly a tough pill to swallow for her parents and in turn this made her regret telling them about it.

"I never had any shame about being gay or anything really. I knew it wasn’t criminal because it was me. I couldn’t be criminal," she said, adding that her parents’ reaction was "hurtful" though.

She recalled that her mom made her swear on the Torah that she would never have sex with another woman again, making Margolyes feel instant regret about being so open with them.

"It hurt them and I don’t want to hurt people," she added.

When it came to talking about the current issue about LGBTQIA+ rights and the crisis surrounding regression in some parts of the world, the actress admitted that she was "worried about it all."

"I’m worried about all of it," she said. "I just think England has become a s***-hole. And the government is at the heart of the s***."

She then talked about the lack of compassion for vulnerable people frequently in our conversation saying: "There’s been a moral slide in England into the deep pit of iniquity."

However, despite not being as active in her professional life, she's still a major icon for fans.

"People come up to me and say 'I just love you', and want to hug me. And that is dazzling," she told the outlet.

She then recalled a newspaper calling her "a national trinket, which is very witty and rather cutting actually" before adding: "I’d like to be a national treasure, but I don’t know if I really am."

Oh we can confirm that she is well and truly a national treasure, if not a global one.

Margolyes' Pride feature is now available to read on British Vogue.

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Miriam Margolyes has given a heartbreaking update on her health as the Harry Potter star says she "doesn’t have long to live".

The 84-year-old actress, best known for playing Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter films, has long been candid about her declining health, and in a new interview with Weekend Magazine, she admitted she feels her issues stem largely from her weight.

“I’ve let my body down,” she confessed. “I haven’t taken care of it. I have to walk with a walker now. I wish I’d done exercise. It’s the most ghastly waste of time, except that it keeps you going. So, I’m foolish.”

Asked whether she’d consider Ozempic, the FDA-approved medication for people with type 2 diabetes that has recently gained traction in Hollywood as a weight-loss aid, Margolyes was clear in her response.

“Absolutely not,” she said. “That’s for diabetics. You shouldn’t take medicine meant for people who are really sick. What I do think is we should not have food advertising on television.”

Her update comes after a string of serious health concerns in recent years.

In May 2023, she was hospitalized at The Royal Brompton Hospital in Chelsea, London, with a chest infection.

While recovering, she wrote on Facebook: “Thanks to my precious friends who thought of me on TAVI DAY. I did survive and am still in The Royal Brompton Hospital certainly till Sunday. I am growing energy but it’s still not quite me. I am putting this so you know how grateful I am for lovely messages.”

Later that year, she underwent a transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Speaking on the Table Manners podcast, she said: “I’ve got a cow’s heart now. Well, not the whole heart. I’ve had an aortic valve replaced by a cow’s aortic valve. I don’t know how common it is. I’d never heard of that operation. But it saves you from having open heart surgery, which would be infinitely more invasive.”

Despite the procedure’s success, Margolyes has continued to face mobility issues linked to spinal stenosis — a condition that narrows the spinal canal and puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves — as well as osteoporosis.

“I can’t walk very well, and I’m registered disabled,” she told Closer Magazine. “I use all kinds of assistance. I’ve got two sticks and a walker, and they’re such a bore, but I’ve just got a mobility scooter, which is a lot of fun.”

She added with a laugh: “It’s like having a new toy. It’s very good for shopping because it’s got a basket on it - and I do enjoy whizzing around on it immensely.”

Margolyes has also spoken frankly about how her lifelong love of food has impacted her health.

Appearing nude in British Vogue for Pride month in June 2023, she admitted: “I’ve limited my life because of my longing for fudge or chopped liver, cheesecake. All these absurdities. I shouldn’t have been so greedy. I should have been stronger.”

In interviews, the Doctor Who and Call the Midwife star has not shied away from confronting her mortality, telling The Times in May: “When you know that you haven’t got long to live, and I’m probably going to die within the next five or six years, if not before, I’m loath to leave behind performing. It’s such a joy. I yearn to play roles that don’t confine me to wheelchairs, but I’m just not strong enough.”

Margolyes previously told British Vogue: “When you’re young, you never think about death. You just think about your next f*** basically. I think about death a lot.

"You can’t help but be aware that the amount of time ahead is less than the time before you. I’m still ducking and diving. I’m still open to new experiences. I’m just very conscious that there is no light at the end of the tunnel.”

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Miriam Margolyes, the Oxford-born actress beloved for her role as Professor Sprout in Harry Potter, has spoken about media claims concerning her “imminent demise” while candidly addressing her concerns over ageing and loss of autonomy.

In a recent Q&A with The Guardian, she quipped that the closest she’s come to dying was “when the media, en masse, reported my imminent demise.”

She shared that her deepest fear is to “experience the utter powerlessness of locked-in syndrome,” followed by dread of becoming “doubly incontinent” as she grows older.

Earlier this year, Margolyes spoke to the Daily Mail about assisted dying.

She didn’t hold back: “I don’t want to go through a slowly diminishing period of pain and embarrassment. If a stroke meant I couldn’t speak, or I was doubly incontinent, or I lost my mind completely, I would ask to be put down. That’s because I want to be who I am. I don’t want to be less than I can be.”

Following concerns she might’ve had her entire heart replaced, she cleared the air on the Table Manners podcast: “Well, not the whole heart. I've had an aortic valve replaced by a cow's aortic valve. I don't know how common it is. I'd never heard of that operation. But it saves you from having open-heart surgery, which would be infinitely more invasive.”

Margolyes revealed a stark assessment of her future in an interview with The Times: “When you know that you haven't got long to live – and I'm probably going to die within the next five or six years, if not before – I'm loath to leave behind performing. It's such a joy. I yearn to play roles that don't confine me to wheelchairs, but I'm just not strong enough.”

She has undergone a transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), replacing her aortic valve with one from a cow, not her entire heart. She’s been open about her statuses: registered disabled, managing spinal stenosis, arthritis, and mobility challenges—using sticks, a walker, and even a mobility scooter.

In August 2025, she reaffirmed in Weekend Magazine that she strongly supports assisted dying under certain conditions—if she couldn’t speak, became incontinent, or lost her mind.

She has unequivocally rejected inaccurate claims that she was “at death’s door,” calling them “b******s” and emphasizing she’s “very much alive" and performing at the Edinburgh Fringe.

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Miriam Margolyes had some harsh words to describe Steve Martin after sharing her "vile experience" on set with him.

The 82-year-old actress, best known for her iconic roles in movies such as The Age of Innocence, James and the Giant Peach, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, opened up during an interview with news.com.au after detailing wild stories from her personal life and her six-decades-long showbiz career in her upcoming book titled Oh Miriam! - Stories from an Extraordinary Life.

When asked about one of those stories that name-dropped Primetime Emmy Award winner Steve Martin, Margolyes stated that she was unimpressed by the actor when the pair worked on the 1986 film, Little Shop of Horrors.

In the movie, Martin plays a dentist while Margolyes plays his dental receptionist.

"Steve was and is brilliant, this is not about his talent, just about his kindness at that time in his life," she told the outlet. "I didn’t enjoy it and I had a splitting headache at the end of the day."

"He [Martin] was incredibly unfriendly because he was a perfectionist," she continued. "He was an artist and all he was interested in was getting the comic moment right, and he was correct to do that, but he should have included me."

"I would have included the person I was working with. He wasn’t interested in that," she said before branding the experience "vile" while also referring to Marin as "rather horrid."

"He was a c**t, that’s all I can tell you," the outspoken actress concluded.

Despite having a negative experience with the veteran actor, Margolyes did add that he was a "gifted" talent.

"When I saw the scene afterwards I thought, 'oh, he’s good, he really is good,'" she told news.com.au.

And the 82-year-old didn't stop there on her list of men she disliked being around.

Next in the firing line was none other than Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

Margolyes encountered the entertainer when she was performing The Vagina Monologues alongside Sophie Dahl, who Jagger was seeing at the time.

"I just didn’t like him," she said, as per the outlet. "He wasn’t interested in anybody else. He didn’t say 'good evening' or 'how’s the show going?'"

She also went on to describe him as a "tiresome old git."

"He thought he was important, and he is important, but important people should never think they’re important and should never show it if they think it. I just thought he was a tiresome old git," she said.

Big yikes.

Oh Miriam! - Stories from an Extraordinary Life is set to be released on September 12.

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