Rupert Grint says being in Harry Potter for a decade was "quite suffocating"

Rupert Grint in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Harry Potter star Rupert Grint has revealed his time working on the iconic wizarding franchise was "quite suffocating."

Grint, who played Harry’s best friend Ron Weasley for a decade across eight movies, told Bustle magazine that working on Harry Potter was "so full on."

"[Filming] all year, then we’d promote the rest of the time. It was quite suffocating," Grint explained. "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." He added, "If we continued, it could’ve gone downhill."

Warner Bros. Discovery stated last year that it wanted a "real focus on franchises" moving forward, with CEO David Zaslav namechecking Harry Potter as one series that delivered "a lot of the profits" for Warners.

Grint later starred in TV shows Snatch and The ABC Murders before appearing in Apple TV Plus series Servant as Julian Pearce. M. Night Shyamalan, who acted as Servant’s showrunner, later cast the actor in Knock at the Cabin – which is set for release on February 3.

It’s that sort of atmospheric space that Grint is keen to explore further. He said, "I’m drawn to a hidden vulnerability. A bit broken, damaged people. At the moment, it seems to be what I’m doing."

Discover what else is coming to cinemas in the next 12 months with our guide to movie release dates. Then dive into Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania with SFX interviews with writer Jeff Loveness on the threequel's "A-List Avengers villain" Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors) and "loose cannon" MODOK.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.