Since 2001 to 2011, (and even now in the web domain and DVDs) actor Rupert Grint has practically inhaled and exhaled every bit of the character of Ronald Weasley. Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe who co-starred with him in the Harry Potter series had taken up other projects in between Harry Potter too, but Rupert had been quite the loyal Potterhead.
The actor who is now 32 recently admitted that although he loved his character, Ronald Arthur Weasley, filming for the entire span of ten years, had become overwhelming after a certain point.
"There was definitely a time where it felt quite suffocating," he said at a podcast. "It was heavy going. It was kind of every day for 10 years in the end."
Grint continued, "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."
The makers of Harry Potter too had not expected that filming of the series would continue for over a decade since back in 2001 there were only a few books published at the time by JK Rowling. And while the books had been a relative hit, the films had later made them even more popular. The Harry Potter books eventually generated a new kind of cult, which encouraged the young generation to start reading books again. But back then, producers only wanted to make two films and later decide if they would continue based on the reactions and reviews.
"It just never ended. Every year it came back," Grint said. "It was kind of like Groundhog Day because it was always the same sets, it was the same people."
"For me, I was just all about the books. I was obsessed with books. I was obsessed with that character. So for me, it was all about being Ron," he recalled. "I didn't really see a career after Potter was done."
