“There were times when I was like ‘I’m done’”: Rupert Grint Got Tired of Playing Ron Weasley in Harry Potter Franchise and We Can’t Blame Him

Notwithstanding the iconic nature of the Harry Potter IP, it is one of the most astonishing works of imagination and creativity combined. But bringing the words from a literary franchise to life cannot be so easy. As such, Rupert Grint became one of the primary victims of the repercussions that came with getting cast in the live-action film series as one of the three main characters.

Although fame and recognition are something a lot of people aspire to achieve, at times, they can also destroy the one thing that can be most precious to someone.

For Rupert Grint, the former was never an option – having taken up acting as a form of creative outlet in school plays rather than being cast in a billion-dollar franchise, turning out to be the most recognized face on the planet, becoming the first keeper of a treasured and beloved character, and losing every concept of privacy and anonymity that came before it.

Harry Potter Made Rupert Grint Almost Quit Acting

Harry Potter – for numerous people – can hold a variety of meanings ranging from childhood escapism to a story of good vs. evil. It can mean a fantastical world without limits or heroism that prevails due to love and not because of vengeful intent. The name, in and of itself, has become a symbol of bravery, friendship, and boundless possibilities, if only one dared to achieve it.

But such a world born from fantastic imagination and comprising endless creativity and infinite possibilities can only bring trouble for a person who dares to embody a character in his own likeness that has meant so much to so many different people across numerous generations. Rupert Grint understood the failings of starring in a franchise such as this not too long after getting cast as Ron Weasley, best friend to Harry Potter and Hermione Granger’s love interest.

By the time Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire premiered in November 2005, Grint had a revelation. In an interview with Independent dated 9th October, 2018, the actor sadly recalled:

I had just finished my GCSEs. I thought ‘Do I actually want to keep doing this? It’s a bit of a drag.’ Because obviously, it’s a big sacrifice. You take for granted anonymity, just doing normal stuff, just going out. Everything was different and a little bit scary. There were times when I was like ‘I’m done.’

Thankfully, his wish to quit remained just that – a wish. And despite Emma Watson going through a similar dilemma, Ron and Hermione, like always, stuck by Harry Potter right until the end.

Rupert Grint Adapts to His Evolving Filmography

As an actor coming into fame way too fast and young for anyone’s liking, the only two options for Rupert Grint were to either stick by his familiar road to fame and adapt while expanding his career or go back to a regular life involving studies and a job even though his face would never be anonymous again.

However, recognizing his difficult predicament, Grint claimed in the interview:

It’s almost like having a split personality. Sometimes it can be quite dehumanising to have people just taking pictures of you when you’re out. To them, you are just this one thing. It’s a weird existence. But that’s my life. I can’t really remember life before it. In a weird way, you become blasé about it. It becomes normal and you adapt.

In the years that followed after Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Rupert Grint would go on to star in four other movies before closing the franchise on a good note. Now, he has extensive filmography in a varied number of genres, with the most recent ones being M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant on Apple TV and Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities on Netflix.

The Harry Potter franchise is available for streaming on Max.