Harry Potter has been entertaining the public for decades, starting with J.K. Rowling's beloved series of novels. The property got even more popular when the film franchise arrived, making instant stars out of its young cast. This includes Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in all eight of the movies. And while Grint has gone on to more adult roles, he recently revealed why it was a bit suffocating playing Harry Potter's best friend.
Rupert Grint made his film debut as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He'd gone on to reprise that role in all of the sequels, as well as a few video game adaptations. But despite this dream gig, Grint revealed that he sometimes felt suffocated while playing that role for a full decade. As Grint recently shared,
There was a time where it felt quite suffocating, because it was heavy going, because it was every day for 10 years in the end. It was a great experience. Such a nice kind of family atmosphere. It was always the same crew we kind of grew up with, so it was a great place to be. But sometimes it definitely felt like, ‘I want to do something else. See what else is out there.’
I mean, can you blame him? Eight movies is a long time for any actor to be playing a role, let alone a child actor who is growing up in front of millions of eyes. And while Rupert Grint used this time to train as an actor, he sometimes wanted more projects outside of the Wizarding World.
Rupert Grint's comments come from his recent appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast. While discussing his life and projects like Apple's Servant, eventually the host asked about Grint's time in the Harry Potter franchise. He was very open about his feelings toward that magical property, explaining why he stopped watching the movies around the third film. And he also revealed the downside to playing Ron Weasley for so long.
While he might have felt a bit suffocated at the time, Rupert Grint is also open about what a great workplace the Harry Potter franchise was over his decade playing Ron Weasley. The same cast and crew was present throughout the movies, forming a family unit. It's just too bad that the schedule was so intense Grint could only occasionally take on other gigs.
Since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 arrived in theaters back in 2011, Rupert Grint and his co-stars Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe have been able to expand their resume with projects outside of Hogwarts. Grint made his Broadway debut in It's Only a Play, and has taken both film and TV projects. He's currently starring in Servant on Apple TV+, which is in the midst of its second season.
Only time will tell if Rupert Grint ever reprises his role as Ron Weasley. Fans are holding out hope that he and the rest of the Harry Potter cast will return for a film adaptation of The Cursed Child. In the meantime, check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.
