Rupert Grint may have landed the role of a lifetime in the famous ‘Harry Potter’ franchise, but he admits that all that glitters is not gold.
The 34-year-old actor, who rose to global stardom playing Ron Weasley, Harry Potter’s best friend from 2001 to 2011, says the experience was “suffocating” at times.
“Potter was very intense: (we filmed) the whole year and then we promoted the rest of the time. It was quite stifling,” the Briton told Bustle.
“I wanted a break, to reflect on everything… It was an out-of-body experience for a while, but I think we ended at the right time. If we had continued, it could have gone downhill.”
The actor, who participated in ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities’, revealed that “the lines were blurring” between his character and his own person with each film.
“I felt the difficulty of being seen, of being outshone,” he explained. “In the movies, we melted into one. In the end, he was playing myself. The lines were blurring.”
Grint revealed that he still responds to “Ron” if someone addresses him that way, adding that it’s his “middle name.”
Growing up in the public eye also brought a “Competitive Element” into play among the cast.
“Who does what?” people contrast our careers. We are all completely different and going our separate ways,” he referred to his former co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.
“I have always felt that there was this expectation that we would get off track, that we would follow the child star stereotype,” he added. “That’s always been something to fight against.”