Broadway.com: What was it like when you got cast in the show? There was all this buzz, obviously, when you got cast. Everyone was like …
Noma Dumezweni: (jokes) I wonder why?

Something’s different about you and Emma Watson.
Noma: She’s young.

It was all handled beautifully. J.K. Rowling tweeted, “White skin was never specified.” And now that the show’s out there, it’s a thing of the past.
Noma: I do think it’s about imagery. When we’ve grown to know something and love something so intensely, it’s like moving. Everyone gets angsty about moving. What I love about this production is, literally, we start and within five minutes, it’s a theatre show. It’s an extraordinary piece of theater that people just totally and utterly buy because your imagination’s opened up. It’s different to the films.

We all started with the books, and that’s what the extraordinary thing is – because it’s Hermione 20 years later. That’s my joy, that I’m able to play this character. It’s my joy that Jo … I can call her that now … Ms. Rowling and John Tiffany and Steven Hoggart, and Sonia and Colin, our producers, and Jack Thorne went, “Yeah, we’d love you to play it.”

Was it exciting when you were rehearsing and you got the script - and everyone wanted to know what was in the script. You were holding onto this golden thing.
Noma: We couldn’t read it on the tube.

Did you have to sign papers?
Noma: We totally did. Nondisclosure agreements. Holding off telling people who were really close to you. Usually for a lot of actors, as I was saying, our learning time for script and lines is on the tube, on the subway, on the train, wherever we’re traveling to on the bus – and we couldn’t bring these pieces of paper out just in case someone is, “Oh, what can that be?” Weirdly exciting to hold that secret, and joyous because it’s about the story. It’s out there.

There’s been a wonderful Twitter hashtag #keepthesecrets and we were wondering, “What’s that going to do when the story comes out?” because now everyone knows it. Actually what it does is makes it even more exciting because theatrically what you’re seeing – what you’re reading speaks for your imagination goes – but what these creative geniuses have done is made something … I know that magic is real, and I’m in that show.

What was it like when Emma Watson came out? What did she say to you when she came back[stage]?
Noma: I love her. Can I just first say that now? I love her. She is a beautiful, graceful heart young woman. We got to meet before she met the bigger company, and I knew she was in before anyone else did. I had a heads-up. I went to meet her after the show. I just remember opening the door, she stood up and we just looked at each other and burst into tears. What an extraordinary thing – we both get to play this extraordinary character called Hermione Granger.

You’re linked together forever.
Noma: Totally and utterly linked together. We do different forms of creativity, and what’s lovely is her appreciation of the form. I keep going on about that. I’m mainly a theatre actor. Yes, TV and film is there as well, and I love those. I love this medium. So for her to say how beautiful the production was – and ultimately it’s the production and all the values in the production – it was very pleasing. But what was very humbling was for her to say she got Hermione older, and she felt that she understood who that was via her storytelling. And I’m looking at this baby girl – I’m old enough to be her mama – and gosh, you’ve done this since you were 8-9 years old, and you’re in your mid-twenties and changing the world. I think that’s extraordinary. She was absolutely gorgeous.

What’s really exciting about you starring in this play is that you’re a real London theatre actor. You have real legitimate credits.
Noma: I’ve got meat to my bones.

Oh yeah, there’s a lot of meat there ... You’ve played in every theater in London, it feels like. And now you could literally be in this show for like years – this is such a commercial show.
Noma: It’s extraordinary. I’ve never done a West End show like this. I’ve done shows which have come in to the West End, but to rehearse for the West End – and it is the WEST END. Extraordinarily, I’ve passed the Palace Theatre for years and years and years since I’ve been in London.

It’s a beautiful theatre, in my opinion.
Noma: I’d never been in until we first looked at this for this job. Les Mis, so many different things have been here. The privilege is extraordinary. There’s a wonderful saying on stage door, and of course, I can’t remember right now, but it is about artistry over the ages coming through. You kind of go, “Oh my goodness. I am – all of us – we are part of those energies coming through. The history of this amazing building. So it’s absolute privilege.

Are you getting recognized on the streets yet?
Noma: Yeah. That’s weird. It’s lovely, but it’s weird.

The Potter fans are very passionate.
Noma: Are extraordinary. And do you know what? The love that’s come out, it’s been beautiful. So for all the negativity that happened, that’s about 10 percent of the love that’s come out – and especially those that have come to see the show. And people, please, I know that tickets are hard. It’s redonkulous. But there are Friday 40s. There are people doing returns. One girl just walked past one day and just checked – and she got it. She was so in awe. So you never know. Have faith.