While on tour in Los Angeles, Aidan Close and his agent took the opportunity to meet and talk with a casting director. Within the 15 minutes it took him to get home from the meeting, he got an email from his agent.

Close, a Boston University alum who at the time was playing Scorpius Malfoy in the North American tour of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” was offered the chance to continue playing Scorpius on Broadway. 

“[Broadway] was a dream, in the fact that it was never gonna be real. It was never gonna happen,” Close said. “There’s a large chunk of me that does not believe that I am actually going to do it. There’s a large chunk of me that still thinks, in some corner of my mind, that I’m being hoodwinked.”

Close will debut on Broadway Nov. 11 alongside some of the same castmates he met on tour. He said the transition from tour to Broadway brought a mix of emotions — heartbreak to be leaving friends and happiness to start something new — but he’s thankful for the tour’s cast that played a prominent role in this part of his life.

“If that was my first chapter with those people in my life, that was a hell of a first chapter,” Close said. “I’m not leaving that family. It’s just a shorter first chapter than I thought.” 

Rehearsals begin this week, and Close said he is excited to “jump into a new process,” with his new cast.

Caleb Hafen, who played James Potter Sr., James Potter Jr., Cedric Diggory and was the understudy for Albus Potter on tour will also be transitioning to Broadway. He said it was “bittersweet” to move, but it’s special to have a tight knight group while moving to New York.

Hafen said some of his favorite memories on tour were playing Albus and acting alongside Close, who made him feel secure before they went on stage. 

“He would just tell me, ‘I’m there with you. Whatever happens, if you miss a line, we’re gonna improv it through,’” Hafen said. “I’m so excited to be able to get that experience again, because I wasn’t sure that was something I was gonna have.”

Hafen described Close as “the embodiment of friendship,” who emanates a pure desire to befriend people. He said Close was exactly what you look for in a leader, because he makes everyone feel important. 

While some members of the cast have done this show on tour, there will be a few new faces on Broadway when Close debuts. One of them is Tom Felton, who will play Draco Malfoy, Scorpius’ father.

Felton played Draco in the original Harry Potter movie series. He’s reprising his role as Draco for the first time since 2011. Close learned Felton would play his father during a surprise FaceTime call, which was posted to the Cursed Child Instagram account. 

“I was in my pajamas and sick as a dog,” Close said. “And then I got on [the call] and I blacked out, and then I saw what happened with everyone else a few weeks ago.”

Close said Felton coming back to play Draco is “going to be a huge moment” that will make many people want to revisit the Harry Potter world.

“It’s going to introduce and reintroduce people to this amazing play and this new version of this play,” Close said. “Because Tom Felton is going to be there, and he’s going to be so many people’s Draco, I think he is going to allow a lot of people to see the continuation of the Malfoy story for the first time.”

For Hafen, Felton coming back means getting to see Close have more opportunities to shine.

“I think the whole ‘Tom Felton-ry’ of the Broadway company is going to get a lot of eyes on him, and I’m excited to see him fly,” Hafen said. “We think that’s exactly what’s going to happen, just because he’s that good and that special of a person.”

Close’s castmates aren’t the only people who are eager to see him succeed on Broadway. 

Julia Janowski, a junior at Northern Illinois University, saw “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” in Chicago and said it was the best play she’s ever seen. She said Close was “phenomenal” as Scorpius.

“He put so much love into the world around him, and you can tell his body language and every little motion he did had so much emotion into it,” Janowski said. “Whatever was happening in the scene, all I noticed was that he was putting in 200% the entire time.”

Close said he feels lucky to continue playing a character he loves so much on a big stage. Although he’s scared to begin his Broadway run, he’s also very excited.

“Even if this is a mistake, I can at least make sure that the person playing Scorpius really loves him and really wants him to be seen, and wants young kids and adults alike to fall in love with this kid,” Close said.