Actor Rupert Grint once explained that filming the iconic Harry Potter movies felt a lot like the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. Celebrities often reference director Harold Ramis’ movie Groundhog Day to describe their experience of filming a movie, mainly because of the movie’s plot. In the movie, Phil Connors, played by Bill Murray becomes trapped in a time loop, forcing him to relive the same day over and over again. Way before Grint, actress Shelley Duvall also referenced the movie while talking about her experience of shooting 1980’s The Shining.
Over the course of 10 years, Grint played the role of Ron Weasley in 8 Harry Potter movies alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson. The role played a key role in making Grint a well-known name in the industry, but it was not an easy job.
The shooting of Harry Potter movies got suffocating for Rupert Grint
During his 2021 appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast, actor Rupert Grint recalled the experience of filming eight Harry Potter movies,
“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 … But sometimes it definitely felt like, ‘I want to do something else. See what else is out there.’ It just never ended. Every year, we came back. And it was kind of like Groundhog Day because it was the same sets. It was the same people. But it was great. I loved it.”
Rupert Grint rose to fame for his work as Ron Weasley in the franchise, making him a household name around the world. He continued to impress audiences with his performances in movies and TV shows like Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (2022), Servant (2019-2023), Agatha Christie’s The ABC Murders (2018), and Underdogs (2013).
Rupert Grint hated this one thing about the role of Ron Weasley
Earlier this year, Rupert Grint appeared in an interview with Bustle and explained that he hated this one thing about the role of Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise,
“I was feeling the difficulty of being seen, being overshadowed. In the movies, we merged into one. By the end of it, I was playing myself. The lines were blurred,” adding, “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 salary gradually increased as for the first few movies he got $125,000 but for the two parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he earned a total of $30 million.
