Rupert Grint has reached out to Alastair Stout, who will play the new Ron Weasley in HBO’s TV adaptation of Harry Potter.
The 37-year-old father of two appeared at north London’s Highgate Christmas lights switch on over the weekend and reflected on his famous role as Ron, one of Harry Potter’s best friends, in all eight films for a decade from 2000.
At the tender age of 11, Rupert was cast alongside Daniel Radcliffe (as Harry Potter) and Emma Watson (as Hermione Granger), and together the trio became world famous as Hogwarts’ brightest, bravest and most rebellious trio.
While the three are still the defacto faces of the franchise, the new HBO TV show has just cast a new generation to portray the young witch and wizards in Alastair, Arabella Stanton, cast as Hermione Granger, and Dominic McLaughlin as protagonist Harry Potter.
After Daniel, 36, revealed he sent Dominic a letter wishing him all the best for his on screen adventure, Rupert has now revealed he also reached out to Alastair.
‘I wrote him a letter, before they started, passing the baton as it were,’ he said in an interview with the BBC at the Christmas lights switch on.
‘It was really just wishing him all the best with it. I had so much fun stepping into this world, and I hope he has the same experience,’ he said.
Talking about his view of the series – which hasn’t come without controversy – Rupert said: ‘I think it’s great that it’s a whole new thing. It’s going to be its own thing, and I think that will be fun.’
Asked if he is fed up with living in the grand shadow of his role as Ron, Rupert said ‘absolutely not’ and revealed he loves it.
‘It has a quite deep meaning to a lot of people of my generation, and even more to generations who are finding it now. It’s great. It gives me a lot of pride. It was such a huge thing,’ he said.
‘I don’t think I’ll ever quite step out of his shadow, but I’m fine with that.’
Other faces cast in the new HBO series include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Warwick Davies reprising his role as Professor Flitwick, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.
Production is currently underway and the first installment is expected to be released in 2027.
Quizzed on whether he would return to the franchise like Draco Malfoy actor Tom Felton – who is currently on Broadway as the grown-up Slytherin – Rupert replied that while he will ‘never say never’ right now he’s enjoying ‘stepping out of the world’.
Since becoming Ron, which was a dream come true for Rupert who was a fan of the books before landing the role, the actor has kept a lower profile than his Potter co-stars, starring in a handful of TV series and films including Servant, Knock at the Cabin, Snatch, and Sick Note.
Rupert declined to comment on the JK Rowling row, which has seen the creator of the wizarding world face backlash from Harry Potter fans, with some boycotting the franchise, for views she’s expressed about trans rights.
The author has been in public spats with Emma Watson – who she called ‘ignorant’ – and Daniel Radcliffe, who Rowling said she would ‘never forgive’ after he spoke out against her views.
In 2020 Rupert joined his co-stars in distancing themselves from Rowling as she vocalised views about the trans community.
In a statement, the actor said: ‘I firmly stand with the trans community’.
‘Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment,’ he added.
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Elsewhere, Keira Knightly recently apologised after appearing in the seven-part Audible adaptation of Harry Potter.
Quizzed on her decision to join the Audible series, the Love, Actually star said she was ‘unaware’ that Potterheads have been boycotting the franchise in solidarity with the trans community.
‘I was not aware of that, no,’ Knightley said in a new interview with Decider.
She continued: ‘I’m very sorry. I think we’re all living in a period of time right now where we’re all going to have to figure out how to live together, aren’t we?
‘And we’ve all got very different opinions. I hope that we can all find respect.’
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