Robbie Coltrane played Hogwarts’ gentle giant gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid, a beloved Harry Potter character that kids adored. The sudden death of the actor in 2022 was mourned all over the world, and his passing left an intense heartbreak on every Potterhead.
The Scottish star spent a lot of time with Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint on the set of Harry Potter, which meant he dealt with kids for a huge chunk of his work on the franchise. Sometimes, they were fun to be with, but other times, they were just completely annoying.
Robbie Coltrane On Working With The Child Stars Of Harry Potter
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, actor Robbie Coltrane could not help but express his agitation dealing with the younger cast on the set of Harry Potter. He revealed director Chris Columbus was more patient with the children, as Coltrane could not even get them to stop bugging him when he was very tired.
“[Columbus] was wonderfully patient. He should be sainted. The trouble with children is that they don’t have the same emotional memory adults have. I’d have been like, ‘C’mon, you little s—t! I want to sleep! I haven’t slept for four weeks!’ But he doesn’t. He just goes, ‘Mmm.’ It’s extraordinary how he gets performances out of them.”
Still, the actor laughed at their antics. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint spent four hours at work and three hours of study time, and the rest of the day was spent enjoying their childhood.
“They’d throw things at each other and play their Game Boys. They liked to get the makeup people to give them gashes. Daniel got one to give him a black eye, and he came in the morning, and the other ones said, ‘Omigod! What happened?’ ”
Coltrane had his own children who were fans of the franchise, too, and according to the comedian, they know every little thing about the story.
“Children know every…single…thing. It becomes blazed in their memory. So they’re going to ask, ‘What about the bit where Mrs. Whatshername does the Doo-Dah?’ I don’t envy Chris.”
Coltrane considered Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint as his own children, and the actor once shared during his last movie appearance that he became protective of them.
Robbie Coltrane On Meeting His Harry Potter Co-Stars Again
Robbie Coltrane said in an interview for HBO’s TV special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts via Yahoo that he had a lot of fond moments with the cast members.
“I was always astonished at how fearless they were. I remember walking into The Great Hall, and I’ve been doing this for 30 years, and I thought, ‘Dear Lord! Woah, better get this one right.’ I do have enormous happy memories of this actually.”
He was quite shocked at the reality that all of them were now adults and no longer doing the same adorable – sometimes annoying – tricks on him when they were younger.
“Now they’re big grown-ups with their own lives. Grint’s had a baby – Grint’s now a father! It’s just astonishing, the change.”
Coltrane was, indeed, one of the best actors who truly shaped everyone’s childhood, and his legacy will remain forever as long as there are fans who keep the spirit of the Harry Potter franchise alive.
