Casting Harry Potter TV Show Reboot
8. Professor McGonagall - Michelle Gomez
Professor Minerva McGonagall is Dumbledore's right-hand woman, fiercely loyal and highly skilled at what she does. She is as dry as it is possible to be without crumbling and she cares deeply for the children in her charge. Dame Maggie Smith was perfect in the role. Arguably, Michelle Gomez is an even greater fit.
Even as Missy, the female incarnation of the villainous Timelord The Master in Doctor Who, she had a charm that was irresistible. Insane and murderous as she was, Gomez still managed to breathe enough life into the character that it was impossible to hate her. Well, maybe not impossible, but certainly very, very hard.
McGonagall needs to be stern, yet fair. She needs to be powerful, without being overbearing. She needs to be in control, without ruling with an iron fist. She needs to be respected by the children in the school without having to be feared by them. Gomez has shown that she has the comedy timing to make the character lovable while also still commanding every scene she is in.
Her time on the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina would certainly go toward helping here. McGonagall isn't a bad person at all, yet there is always the fear that she might cut you - Harry himself wonders if 'Wood' is some sort of cane she'll use to beat him in the Philosopher's Stone - but underneath her hard exterior, there is a kind and caring teacher.