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A star of the new Harry Potter series has said all private schools should be 'burnt to the ground' after revealing he suffered a traumatic experience at boarding school as a child.
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he → see → child
Johnny Flynn, who has been cast as Lucius Malfoy in HBO's eagerly anticipated adaptation of JK Rowling's wizarding novels, made the extraordinary remarks while opening up about his own education.
The South African-born British actor, 43, said he was sent to boarding school when he was just seven and was bullied during his school years.
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he → cast → years
'It was quite traumatic for me,' he said of being sent to a boarding school when he was seven years old, adding: 'I think they should all be burnt to the ground, I don't think private schools should exist.'
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schools → say → ground
Flynn has previously spoken about his unhappy experiences at boarding school, where he has said he developed nervous tics.
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he → speak → tics
The actor, who is also the frontman of folk-rock band Johnny Flynn & the Sussex Wit, told Radio Times that it was only years later that he realised there had been 'something quite painful' about his childhood experiences.
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he → tell → experiences
He said therapy had helped him understand what he described as 'boarding school syndrome'.
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he → say → syndrome
'And I'm good, I'm OK now,' he added.
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he → add → ?
Johnny Flynn, who has been cast as Lucius Malfoy in HBO's eagerly anticipated adaptation of JK Rowling's wizarding novels, made the extraordinary remarks while opening up about his own education
Flynn was discussing his views on Britain's education system while talking about his role in the second series of crime drama MobLand, which stars Tom Hardy and has Guy Ritchie as executive producer.
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which → cast → producer
The actor plays a criminal and chiropodist in the Paramount+ series, and reflected on the fact that he, Hardy and Ritchie were all privately educated.
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he → play → fact
'The posh boys taking over things is such an important conversation to have,' he said.
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he → take → things
'It's terrible when the only stories being told are by the same set of public school guys.
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stories → tell → guys
But those people that were probably being targeted, like Eddie Redmayne and Benedict Cumberbatch, they're the nicest people I know, and they would say, 'Yeah, we don't want to be the only ones here.'
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we → target → Redmayne
Flynn's own experience of boarding school dates back to his childhood in England.
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experience → date → England
He was sent to Pilgrims, a cathedral school in Winchester, at the age of eight on a music scholarship, having taken up the violin as a child.
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He later attended the progressive Bedales School, where he continued his musical education before eventually going on to train as an actor.
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he → attend → actor
The actor has previously described his first boarding school as an unhappy environment and said he had found it difficult to understand why his parents had sent him away.
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parents → describe → him
A spokesperson for The Pilgrims' School: 'We are saddened to hear of anyone who recalls a difficult experience during their time at school.
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who → sadden → school
Pilgrims' has evolved significantly over the years and, as with schools across the country, our safeguarding and pastoral approaches are continually reviewed and strengthened.
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approaches → evolve → country
'We believe children learn best when they feel safe, valued and that they belong.
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they → believe → ?
Creating a culture of kindness, respect and inclusion is therefore fundamental to everything we do.
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we → create → everything
Alongside a strong pastoral framework, the wellbeing of every pupil remains at the heart of school life.
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wellbeing → remain → life
Now, despite his strong views about private education, Flynn is preparing to return to the world of boarding schools on screen as one of the most recognisable villains in the Harry Potter universe.
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Flynn → prepare → universe
He will play Lucius Malfoy, the wealthy and prejudiced father of Draco Malfoy, in HBO's new television adaptation of the books.
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He → play → books
Flynn is taking over the role from Jason Isaacs, who portrayed Lucius in the original Harry Potter films.
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who → take → films
The new series is set to premiere on Christmas Day this year, with Dominic McLaughlin playing Harry, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
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McLaughlin → set → Weasley
The first season will be based on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, with the series intended to follow Rowling's books more closely than the films were able to.
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films → base → books
Flynn said he had approached the role of Lucius differently from Isaacs, insisting that he needed to empathise with his characters rather than simply portray them as villains.
'
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he → say → villains
He has a moral compass that shows him his true north and he underlined the themes of racism.
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he → have → racism
'Not to denounce his version, but I can't play a character unless I empathise with them.'
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I → denounce → them
He said his own experiences had helped him understand the psychology of people who become bullies after being bullied themselves.
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who → say → themselves
'He was one of those kids bullied in his school, and he's now turned into the bully, so he doesn't know another way.
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he → bully → way
That's how I want to play him because I know those people quite well.
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On the one hand, they were the people that bullied me, they were the abusers, but at some point, they were the abused.
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they → bully → point
In the original films, Isaacs played Lucius as a sinister aristocrat and staunch supporter of Voldemort, with the character's contempt for Muggles and those from non-magical families central to his portrayal.
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contempt → play → portrayal
Flynn, meanwhile, is best known for roles including George Knightley in the 2020 film Emma and appearances in Lovesick, Ripley and One Life, as well as his career as a musician.
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Flynn → know → musician
The new Harry Potter series has already generated considerable attention ahead of its Christmas debut, with John Lithgow taking on the role of Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Hagrid.
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