Rupert Grint Admitted That Harry Potter Was ‘Suffocating’ For Him In An Eye-Opening Interview

Like his fellow Harry Potter graduates, Rupert Grint has made the tricky transition from child stardom to adulthood look relatively easy. But in a 2023 interview, the actor — who will likely forever be best known as Ron Weasley — admitted that he hadn’t had an easy time of it at all. In fact, he described his experience of the mega-franchise as being “suffocating.” 

A billion-dollar franchise

That probably isn’t much of a surprise when you consider that Grint and his co-stars had been expected to front a billion-dollar franchise before they’d even entered their teens. Luckily, such pressures don’t appear to have impacted on the redhead’s good nature. And you only have to listen to M. Night Shyamalan for proof. 

A famous fan

Shyamalan knows what he’s talking about, of course. The master of suspense has directed Grint in the eerie Apple TV+ thriller Servant and apocalyptic tale Knock at the Cabin. And in an interview with website Bustle, the filmmaker couldn’t stop singing the actor’s praises. Shyamalan said, “He’s kind to everybody. He’s always on time. He’s super-professional. It comes effortlessly to him.”

The curse of child stars

Shyamalan went on to add, “He’s just an unusual human being in every way. He’s truly become a wonderful actor. I defy you to find somebody that doesn’t have something good to say about him.” And the director was also impressed with how Grint has managed to avoid succumbing to the child-star curse. 

A career renaissance

In fact, Shyamalan recalled how he essentially told Grint that he “shouldn’t exist.” The filmmaker explained, “This renaissance, this second movement of his, shouldn’t be happening… He’s a person of such abandon to his character without any protective mechanisms. He has a connection to his emotions in a way that’s just pure.”