Rupert Grint says playing Ron Weasley in Harry Potter was 'suffocating'

Harry Potter star Rupert Grint has said playing Ron Weasley was ‘suffocating’, having portrayed the young wizard for more than a decade.

Grint, 34, is set to star in M. Night Shyamalan horror Knock at the Cabin – his first film role in eight years – having recently featured in Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, an anthology series on Netflix.

He is also now a father, having welcomed his first child with partner Georgia Groome in May 2020.

But his earlier career was dominated by his turn as the youngest Weasley brother in the Harry Potter franchise, having joined the cast at the age of 11 alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson.

Speaking to Bustle, Grint reflected on his time as Ron, admitting: “In the movies, we merged into one. By the end of it, I was playing myself. The lines were blurred.”

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The actor said things post-Harry Potter were difficult, partly because he wasn’t even sure he wanted to stay working in the industry that he made his name in.

“Potter was so full on - [filming] all year, then we’d promote the rest of the time,” he said.

“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.”

Last year, Grint took part in HBO Max’s Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts television special, which served as a celebration of the on-screen wizarding world.

He said yes to the gig, but didn’t initially feel that enough time had passed for a reunion.

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“It was happening, I didn’t really have a say,” Grint said, continuing to say the process was rewarding in the end.

“[Being in Harry Potter] was a really unique experience only us core group really know, so it’s nice to see them,” he said of his co-stars.

“It was a good opportunity to reflect on everything and just say how crazy it was. It’s always nice to look back.”

In a few days, Grint's latest project - Knock at the Cabin - will make its debut in US cinemas, marking his return to cinema after several years.

Directed by horror maestro M. Night Shyamalan, the film is based on the 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay, and also stars the likes of Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn.