Rupert Grint Says 10 Years Filming 'Harry Potter' Felt 'Quite Suffocating'

During a recent episode of Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, Harry Potter star Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in all 8 blockbuster films, opened up about his experience growing up in the wizarding world was really like. Turns out, it wasn't all butterbeer and chocolate frogs.

"There was definitely a time where it felt quite suffocating," Rupert said of the years he spent on the Harry Potter set. "It was heavy going. It was kind of every day for 10 years in the end."

Though Grint was candid about the downsides of filming a blockbuster film series throughout his formative years, he made sure to clarify that, overall, he was happy with his time filming Harry Potter. "It was a great experience, such a nice, kind of, family atmosphere. It was always kind of the same crew we grew up with. So it was a great place to be, but sometimes it definitely felt like I wanted to do something else." 

"But yeah, it just never ended. Every year it came back. It was kind of like Groundhog Day because it was always the same sets, it was the same people," he said. "But it was great. I loved it." 

Since Grint was so young when he signed on to play Ron, he says he never actually planned to have a career in the entertainment industry. "I really wasn't kind of aware of it and really wasn't thinking about it. For me, I was just all about the books," he explained. "I was obsessed about the books. I was obsessed with that character. So for me, it was all about being Ron. I didn't really see a career after Potter was done."

Now 32-years-old and a new father, Grint is starting to look forward to revisiting the films one day with his daughter, Wednesday. "I've seen the first one maybe twice now and once quite recently. I haven't really watched any of the others," he said. "It still feels too soon. I can't really detach myself fully. I can't face it." 

Photo: Getty