Why Harry Potter’s Rupert Grint Feels So Protective of Ron Weasley

Harry Potteractor Rupert Grint reveals why he’s so protective of his character, Ron Weasley. Grint played Ron first in 2001’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and through the series’ final film, 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Just last year, Grint became a father with his girlfriend Georgia Groome. He joined Instagram with a picture of his newborn and garnered 2.7 million followers in one day.

Weasley is widely known in the series as being Harry Potter’s best friend and sidekick during the Wizarding War. The two went on the run with Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in order to destroy Voldemort’s horcruxes. Weasley had his infamous fight with Potter in this film after becoming possessed by a locket Voldemort had cursed. However, he finds Harry and Hermione again and stays with them through the final battle of Hogwarts. While having some conflict as all friends do, Ron and Harry were there for each other during very difficult circumstances.

In a new interview with People, Grint reveals that he feels protective over his character. He has spoken in the past about how he and his character are very similar, and that playing Ron for 10 years made him very familiar with what the character is about and stands for. Grint had the following to say about his relationship to Weasley:

“There’s been a lot talk of [playing Ron again] with everything going on and I feel like I am that character. I think I had a very strange relationship with him at first but I feel like there’s a lot of me in there so I’m quite protective of him.”

The actor has been asked many times if he would consider coming back to portray Ron Weasley in a future film. Last year, Grint stated that he would return to Harry Potter at the right time. With the series being so popular, it seems that Warner Bros. would jump at the chance to produce another Potter film. However, what is holding them back from doing so is J.K. Rowling’s approval and the actors’ willingness to return.

From what can be gathered from Grint’s comments, it is understandable why he would feel protective of the character. His own personality influenced the onscreen portrayal of Ron Weasley, helping to shape Potter’s best friend and the role he’d play across the franchise. He also played the character for a large portion of his young life, and a deep connection to Ron surely grew from that experience. Of the main Harry Potter trio, Grint is the one who seems the most open to returning, too. His acting career has been noticeably quieter than either Daniel Radcliffe’s or Emma Watson’s, but he’s continued appearing in films and television, most recently AppleTV+’s Servant. Still, given his close ties to Ron Weasley, were there a chance to return as the character in a future Harry Potter project, Grint would hopefully agree.

Source: People