Rupert Grint opened about questioning his career path soon after he wrapped up his role as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter films.
Grint was only 11-year-old when he was casted as the iconic character in film series based on the novel by JK Rowling. The seven movies went on to become global phenomena, breaking box office and grossing billions of dollars.
The father-of-two, who has turned 37 on August 24, admitted that he nearly gave up on carrying on his acting career after these fictional/fantasy films.
In conversation with The New York Times, he said, “I definitely did think, ‘Is it too late to pick something else?’”.
The actor bought an ice-cream van with his earning from the films and drove it back to his family home on the last day of shooting. The beloved star was quite seriously considering to become and ice-cream man once he wrapped the film.
He thought that he might be able to do that as his job, but after a year off from the business he decided to give acting another go.
Sharing why he took a year break, in an interview with Bustle, he told he found shooting the Hogwarts films “quite suffocating”.
“Potter was so full on [filming] all year, then we’d promote the rest of the time. It was quite suffocating,” Grint said. He further said that he “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. If we continued, it could’ve gone downhill,” he added.
Grint also admitted the lines became blurred between him and his famous character, Ron. He said, “In the movies, we merged into one. By the end of it, I was playing myself. The lines were blurred.”
Despite his initial worries being unable to carry on with his career, after the final film that was released in 2011, Grint starred in multiple movies including, Into the White (2012) and Moonwalkers (2015).