‘I’ll never leave Ron’s shadow’

Rupert Grint has told the BBC he is unlikely to “come out” of Ron Weasley’s shadow nearly 14 years after the last Harry Potter film was released.

“I don’t mind that. I think it’s great,” he said. “I love meeting people who really feel like this was a part of their childhood.”

37-year-old Grint, who played Ron in all eight films of the series, announced that he also wrote a letter to the child actor who played Ron. in the upcoming TV series.

“It’s pretty weird to have the cycle happen again,” he said. “I’m really curious how it will turn out.”

Grint was speaking to BBC News at a Christmas lights switch-on event in Highgate, north London, on Wednesday.

The actor, who lives locally with his partner, actress Georgia Groome, and their two daughters, drew a crowd of admirers to the Highgate Literary and Scientific Society.

The lives of Grint and his co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson changed during their childhood, thanks to the wizarding roles they played in the big screen adaptation of JK Rowling’s books between 2001 and 2011.

Grint was 11 when he was cast as Ron, described as one of Harry Potter’s best friends at Hogwarts, and he now describes the experience as “crazy”.

“It changed my whole life pretty quickly,” he said. “I was a big fan of the books, so for me it was like stepping into the books and that was very special.”

Since the Potter films ended, Grint has appeared in films such as Into the White and the Apple TV series Servant. He also went on stageand in some of Ed Sheeran’s music videos.

He told us “a few things” will happen next year, but he can’t talk about them yet.

But compared to Radcliffe and Watson, Grint finds it relatively difficult to shake off the role of Potter.

Is he tired of being constantly linked to a role he played decades ago? “No, absolutely not, I love him,” she said.

“It has a pretty deep meaning for a lot of people in my generation, and even more so for the generations that are finding it now. It’s amazing. It makes me so proud. It was a huge thing.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to step out of his shadow, but that’s okay with me.”

The three child actors who will portray Harry, Ron and Hermione in HBO’s new series were announced in May.

earlier this weekRadcliffe revealed that he sent a letter to Dominic McLaughlin, who played Harry.

Grint told us he did the same for Alastair Stout, who will play Ron.

“I wrote him a letter before we started, it was like I was passing the baton,” he said.

“I was actually wishing him the best. I had a lot of fun stepping into this world and I hope he has the same experience,” she said.

Grint said when the new cast members were announced he was “directly” transported back to when Radcliffe and Watson were selected. “I still remember every second of it,” he said.

He sees “a little bit of a family resemblance” between himself and Stout.

“I think it’s great that this is something completely new. It’s going to be something unique and I think it’s going to be fun,” he added.

But he wouldn’t discourage his children if they wanted to star in the TV adaptation in the future.

“I don’t see why not. It was so much fun,” he said.

Grint added that the movies were “still a little too scary” for his five-year-old daughter named Wednesday, but that he had watched some clips. “And he loves it,” he added.

Although Grint has been substantially less prolific since the heyday of the Harry Potter films, IHe was one of the few stars in 2020 A character from the Potter series who distanced herself from Rowling when the author spoke out against trans activism, which Rowling said had eroded the concept of biological sex.

As the controversy grew, the author was accused of being transphobic, but she denied this, saying she was concerned about the impact of single-sex spaces on women.

In September, Watson said: He still loves Rowling and has refused to “cancel” her despite their differences on the issue.

However, his remarks were met with a harsh reaction from Rowling, who called him “ignorant”.

Grint declined to comment on the controversy when we asked him about it on Wednesday.

Could the future mean a return to wizardry for Grint? When asked if he’ll follow in the footsteps of his co-star Tom Felton – anytime soon Returns as Draco Malfoy on Broadway – said: “Maybe in the future. Never say never.”

“But for now, as much as I love him, I think I’m enjoying stepping outside of that world,” he added — even if Ron’s shadow looms large.

And if this wizardry could offer him the benefit of looking into the past, which Hogwarts house would he be housed in?

“I think I’m probably more Hufflepuff than Gryffindor,” he admits.

“I like the Hufflepuff vibe, I guess. But Gryffindor is a close second.”