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Rupert Grint has acknowledged in an interview with the BBC that he anticipates remaining associated with his iconic role as Ron Weasley, even 14 years after the conclusion of the Harry Potter film series.
“I’m fine with that. I think it’s great,” he stated, expressing contentment with the enduring connection. “I love meeting people who really felt this was part of their childhood.”
Grint, 37, who portrayed Ron in all eight Harry Potter films, also revealed that he has penned a letter to the young actor cast as Ron in the forthcoming TV adaptation.
“It’s quite strange to have the cycle happening again,” Grint remarked, adding, “I’m really intrigued what it’s going to be like.”
Grint’s comments were made during an interview with BBC News at an event marking the switching on of Christmas lights in Highgate, North London, on Wednesday.
The actor, a local resident alongside his partner, actress Georgia Groome, and their two daughters, drew a crowd of fans to the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution and Highgate Society.
Grint, along with co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, experienced a transformative period during their childhoods as they embodied the wizarding roles in the big-screen adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s books, spanning from 2001 to 2011.
Grint was 11 years old when he was cast as Ron, one of Harry Potter’s closest friends at Hogwarts. He now describes the experience as “crazy.”
“It changed my whole life quite quickly,” he reflected. “I was a huge fan of the books, so for me it was like stepping into the books, and that was very special.”
Grint has previously participated in the Highgate Christmas lights ceremony.
The festive event was organized and funded by local volunteers, businesses, schools, and residents.
Since the conclusion of the Harry Potter films, Grint has taken on roles in projects such as *Into the White* and the Apple TV series *Servant*. He has also made stage appearances and featured in several music videos by Ed Sheeran.
He hinted at “a couple of things” in the pipeline for next year, though specifics remain undisclosed.
Compared to Radcliffe and Watson, Grint has arguably found it more challenging to distance himself from his Harry Potter role.
When asked if he was weary of the enduring association with the role he played years ago, he responded, “No, absolutely not, I love it.”
“It has a quite deep meaning to a lot of people of my generation, and even more to generations who are finding it now. It’s great. It gives me a lot of pride. It was such a huge thing.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever quite step out of his shadow, but I’m fine with that.”
The cast for Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the upcoming HBO series was revealed in May.
Earlier this week, Radcliffe disclosed that he had sent a letter to Dominic McLaughlin, who will assume the role of Harry.
McLaughlin, 11, is also appearing in a new iPlayer drama, Gifted, which starts on Monday on CBBC and iPlayer.
Grint confirmed that he has also written a letter to Alastair Stout, who will portray Ron.
“I wrote him a letter, before they started, passing the baton as it were,” he said.
“It was really just wishing him all the best with it. I had so much fun stepping into this world, and I hope he has the same experience,” he said.
Grint said that when the new actors were announced, it took him “straight back” to when he, Radcliffe and Watson were cast. “I still remember every second of it,” he said.
He sees “a bit of family resemblance” between himself and Stout.
“I think it’s great that it’s a whole new thing. It’s going to be its own thing, and I think that will be fun,” he added.
He wouldn’t discourage his children if they wanted to take on roles in the TV adaptation in the future, though.
“I don’t see why not. It was so much fun,” he said.
Grint added the films were “still a little bit too scary” for his five-year-old daughter, named Wednesday, but she has watched some clips. “And she loves it,” he added.
While Grint has largely been less prolific since the heyday of the Harry Potter films, in 2020, he was one of several stars of the Potter franchise who distanced themselves from Rowling when the author spoke out against trans activism, which Rowling said had eroded the concept of biological sex.
As a row grew, the writer was accused of being transphobic, which she denied, saying she was worried about the effect on women in single-sex spaces.
In September, Watson said she still loves Rowling and refused to “cancel her out” despite their differences on the subject.
But her remarks were met with a stinging response from Rowling, who dismissed her as “ignorant”.
Grint, for his part, declined to comment on the row when we asked him about it on Wednesday.
Could the future spell a return to wizardry for Grint? When asked whether he would follow in the footsteps of co-star Tom Felton – who recently returned as Draco Malfoy on Broadway – he said: “Maybe in the future. Never say never.”
“But for now, I think as much as I loved it, I’m enjoying stepping outside of that world,” he added – even as Ron’s shadow looms large.
And if that wizardry could offer him the benefit of hindsight, which Hogwarts house would he be sorted into?
“I think I’m probably more Hufflepuff than Gryffindor,” he admits.
“I like the vibe of Hufflepuff, I think. But Gryffindor is a close second.”
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