AceShowbiz - Aussie actress Poppy Montgomery is portraying "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling in a new TV biopic that chronicles the popular writer's early life as a struggling single mum - before she conjured up the boy wizard.

"Magic Beyond Words", which is currently being shot in Vancouver, Canada, will debut on America's Lifetime channel later this year, and director Paul Kaufman insists Rowling's rags-to-riches story will shock a lot of Potter fans. He explains, "This is a woman who decided to persevere... She was on welfare... and she really hit rock bottom."

Montgomery, who has adopted a British accent for the role and will even wear blue contact lenses to resemble the writer, admits she's a big fan and wouldn't know what to do if Rowling decided to pay a visit to the set. She tells Access Hollywood, "I'd turn into a puddle of water."