Rupert Grint kept a relatively low profile after Harry Potter wrapped up in 2011. Daniel Radcliffe went on to hone his acting abilities on stage and in a series of indie movies, Emma Watson ascended to superstar status and became a UN Goodwill Ambassador, but Grint took a series of minor roles and tried to live a relatively normal life, though has since been open about his struggles with alcohol.
He’s now heading back to the top, with critically acclaimed roles in M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant and Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, while his first big screen role in eight years is just around the corner when Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin arrives later this week.
Now, in an interview with Bustle, he’s reflected on his time as Ron Weasley, and it sounds like he deserved some time away from the limelight:
“Potter was so full on — [filming] all year, then we’d promote the rest of the time. It was quite suffocating. I wanted a break, to reflect on everything… It was an out-of-body experience for a while, but I think we finished at the right time. If we continued, it could’ve gone downhill.”
Grint last stepped into the Potterverse in HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, but it sounds like he was reluctant to join his former co-stars. He believes that not enough time had passed to warrant a reunion and underlines that he hasn’t actually seen all the Harry Potter movies as he doesn’t like watching himself on screen. Even so, the experience sounds positive:
“[Being in Harry Potter] was a really unique experience only us core group really know, so it’s nice to see them. It was a good opportunity to reflect on everything and just say how crazy it was. It’s always nice to look back.”
The Wizarding World’s reputation has taken some major knocks over the last few years due to J.K. Rowling’s transphobia, with the Fantastic Beasts franchise looking like it’s coming to an abrupt end after The Secrets of Dumbledore failed to perform as expected. Later this week, we’ll get a litmus test of how it’s going when Hogwarts Legacy hits consoles and PC.
Either way, Grint seems very happy to put it all behind him and look to the future. Who can blame him?
