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Rupert Grint got his big break in the entertainment industry when he was just 11 years old. As those who grew up in the 2000s may best recall, the red-haired actor portrayed wizard Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter film series. The gig, which ran the course of over a decade, helped secure his place in the film world, cementing him as one of history's most famous child actors.
Harry Potter (1 T M 7)college St. Paulus
When the eighth and final Pottermovie debuted in 2011, Grint appeared ready to cast off his Gryffindor robes and set off in an attempt to rule Tinseltown. But his career hasn't exactly flourished as well as fans would have expected.
From work woes and odd jobs to personal problems and off-screen opportunities, there's a lot that people have likely missed since Grint's time as a slacker student at Hogwarts. So, let's answer the question on everyone's minds: Why won't Hollywood cast Rupert Grint anymore?
Rupert Grint took it easy between Potters
Compared to fellow Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, Rupert Grint took on a much lighter workload between Potter films. Appearing in only three indie projects toward the end of the series, he missed out on truly showcasing his acting skills when all eyes were on him.
The coming of age dramedy Driving Lessons earned mixed reviews in 2006, while Cherrybombstruggled to find a distributor and was largely ignored by critics in 2009. The following year, it would have been a blessing if critics had ignored the black comedy remake of Wild Target. According to Rotten Tomatoes, the film is an 'ineptly staged farce that dishonors the original film and squanders the comedic potential of its fine actors.' Oof.
He wanted to quit acting
Closing the Harry Potter chapter of his life was so tough that Rupert Grint considered quitting acting altogether.
'We had such an intimate and intense few years in this bubble,' he told Entertainment Weekly in 2017. 'When I started, [acting] was never something that I aspired to do ... I fell in love with it while I was doing it. But I definitely did think, 'Is this really what I want to do?' I wanted to live a little bit.' He added, 'I felt like I'd missed out on a lot ... It was nice to just be away from it and not have any kind of commitments at all, and just be a bit free.'
This actor took on really odd jobs
During his aforementioned sabbatical, Rupert Grint experimented with odd jobs.
'My first ambition was to become an ice-cream man,' he told the Daily Mail in 2014, explaining that his first car was an ice cream truck. 'I'll drive around the local villages and if I see some kids looking like they're in need of ice creams, I'll pull over and dish them out for free.'
In 2011, Grint became a hotelier, opening Rigsy's Guest House in Hereford, England. The boutique hotel turned out to be a money pit, and Grint shut it down four years later, having reportedly made only 2,000 pounds profit (about $2,834.)
When Rupert Grint eased back into acting, no one noticed
When Rupert Grint finally returned to acting, he slowly eased back into the game with a few guest spots on the small screen. Acting in shows on both sides of the Atlantic, he lent his talents to programs like the animated Fox series American Dad! and the U.K.'s folklore-based comedy Urban Myths. But, of course, Grint also took advantage of his famous face and name recognition. In 2010, before the final Harry Potter film was released, he turned up for an appearance on the popular car show Top Gear, alongside Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. Then, in 2016, he starred as himself in the first episode of Tracey Ullman's Show.
But, unfortunately for Grint, none of those non-Potter appearances made much of a splash. And, on the film side of his career, things weren't much better.
Honestly, it's a shame he couldn't borrow Ron Weasley's wand to conjure up better roles.
Is that Rupert Grint or Ed Sheeran?
In 2011, Rupert Grint starred as an obsessive Ed Sheeran stalker in the singer-songwriter's 'Lego House' music video. At the time, he probably didn't envision that their uncanny resemblance would follow him around nearly as much as the shadow of Ron Weasley.
Years later, people still confuse the red-headed Brits — not that they haven't had fun with it. 'It's kind of 50/50 now,' the actor told James Corden on The Late Late Show in 2017. 'It's like [when] someone stops me, it could go either way. I could be Ed or I could be me.' Admitting that he'll 'play along' whenever a fan thinks he's Sheeran, Grint took this bit one step further in a comedy skit for MTV's After Hours, in which he turned up to perform as Sheeran before jokingly revealing the singer-songwriter was just a character.
Critics panned this actor's post-Potter films
When Rupert Grint returned to the big screen in 2013, it was anything but magical. The actor's first three post-Potter films were both critical and commercial failures. Into the White, a Norwegian WWII film, saw only a limited release and received mixed reviews due to its slow pacing, predictable plot, and overall 'bland' nature. CBGB, a historical punk rock drama which featured his former Harry Potter co-star Alan Rickman and actress Malin Akerman, was panned by critics, earning a mere seven percent on Rotten Tomatoes. However, the worst-received of all was Charlie Countryman, a psychological dramedy in which Grint plays a wannabe porn star.
Commenting on the film, Variety called it 'a profoundly unnecessary movie,' noting, 'Strained attempts at magic realism will leave viewers more irritated than enchanted.' Also critical of the movie, The New York Times wrote, 'This catastrophe of a movie zigzags drunkenly between action-adventure and surreal comedy with some magical realism slopped over it like ketchup.'
Eek!
Super Clyde moved forward without him
In 2013, Rupert Grint signed on to a project that had the potential to turn him into a television star in the States: CBS' pilot for Super Clyde, a comedy about a nerdy, neurotic, food service worker who becomes an unlikely superhero when he inherits a ton of cash from a dead relative.
While the pilot was well-received, the network opted not to pick it up to series. Adding insult to injury, CBS later decided to move forwardwithout Grint attached to the show in 2015, reordering a second pilot to be shot with a brand new cast.
NBC passed on Imperial City
The NBC pilot for Imperial City suffered a similar fate to Super Clyde. In 2015, Rupert Grint was cast as the lead in this one-hour drama, playing a low-level NYC office employee who becomes obsessed with his late father's comic book series Imperial City. And, in a twist, Grint's character soon discovers that the fantasy world in the comics turns out to be real.
Speaking with MTV News in 2016, Grint shared that he was excited about the show because he had 'always loved comics.' He also admitted that he 'used to dabble' in making his very own comic book stories, but hadn't put too much stock in it as a way to make a living as he never 'really thought about it in too much detail.'
Unfortunately, Grint's personal excitement over Imperial City just didn't catch on with the right people, and the series never got off the ground.
Rupert Grint was heard, but not seen
One of Rupert Grint's most notable post-Potter roles was one in which he didn't even appear on the screen. In 2014, he showed off his pipes voicing Josh, a video game-obsessed pop star in Postman Pat: The Movie.
The animated film received mixed reviews. Critics overwhelmingly praised the voice actors' performances but felt the plot was too complicated and scary for kids. The Guardian called it 'a misjudgment,' while The Hollywood Reporter wrote, 'Despite its voice cast comprised of a gallery of notable British performers ... Postman Pat: The Movie is a mostly charmless and dark affair.'
He can't leave Ron Weasley behind
Letting go of one of the most iconic roles in pop culture is clearly no easy task. Rupert Grint has admitted that even he has trouble separating himself from Ron.
'I think it'll always be with me,' he told Vulture in 2017. 'I had a weird relationship with that character because after that we kind of merged into the same person. I find it very hard to separate where I end and Ron begins.'
In 2014, Grint found himself reprising his turn as Harry Potter's BFF in two shorts for Universal Studios, The Hogwarts Express and Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts.
Critics hated Moonwalkers
Following a lull in his career, Rupert Grint's big return to film came with 2016's Moonwalkers. He plays a seedy band manager who joins a thuggish CIA agent to stage the moon landing.
'I just thought it was so ridiculous,' Grint told MTV News with a laugh. 'It really at no moment takes itself seriously.'
Unfortunately, the movie saw only a limited release and was hit with negative criticism, and no one else was laughing. RogerEbert.comcalled it 'a fake comedy, one that mistakes an endless bloody splatter-fest of a finale for the height of hilarity and never quite gets off the ground after takeoff.'
Did Rupert Grint have a partying problem?
In 2016, The Sun ran a scathing yet worrisome piece about Rupert Grint. The gossip rag suggested a correlation between the actor's dwindling career and his supposed health issues, alleged drinking and partying, and a reported lack of focus and drive. 'Rupert is exceptionally unfocused right now,' a source told the tabloid.
The insider further claimed that Grint had reached both a personal and professional low point. The source said, 'He wanted to be a leading man on stage and screen but at the moment he is neither. He's really disillusioned with his life and work.'
Harry Potter (1 T M 7)college St. Pauls
While Grint's largely remained silent about rumors of his alleged partying ways, as well as any dissatisfaction with his life, he has opened up about his apparent problem with saying no in social situations. 'I would do anything if someone asks me to do it,' Grint told the Mirror, adding, 'It's got me in a few weird situations.'
We could see how that trait might get Grint into some uncomfortable situations. Speaking to The Guardian in 2018, he said, 'As I got older I could feel this growing narrative willing me to get engulfed in some big scandal off-screen. It felt like people were waiting for me to go off the rails, but it was never going to happen.'
He turned to the stage
Rupert Grint further distanced himself from Hollywood by pursuing work in theater, but the results were much more positive.
In 2013, he made his stage debut on the West End in London in Jez Butterworth's controversial black comedy Mojo. His performance earned rave reviews and a What's On Stage award for best newcomer. As The Times wrote, Grint 'makes an assured stage debut as Sweets, a pill-popping, pill-dealing kid with a hollow confidence ... played out at a beguilingly brisk comic pitch.'
He made his Broadway debut the following year in Terrence McNally's farce It's Only a Play. 'That was really educational actually, being onstage,' the actor told MTV News. 'I fell in love with acting again.'
Rupert Grint is sticking to his roots
Sorry, Hollywood. Rupert Grint may have been willing to make the temporary move to New York City for his stint on Broadway, but he has no real plans to pursue work in the United States if it means leaving his home country for good. 'I like England,' he told the Mirror in 2014. 'It's my home.'
Of course, sticking to his roots may be good for his personal life, but it undoubtedly puts the actor at risk for missing out on major career opportunities. At least, when it comes to acting. Grint has apparently jumped into the real estate game. Over the years, he's purchased a number of properties in England, specifically in Hertfordshire where he and his family live and where a number of London commuters reside, as reported by the Daily Mail in June 2013. He apparently acquired the homes through his company Eevil Plan Properties. And, while he and his parents reside in two of the homes, at least one of the actor's properties is reportedly being rented out to locals.
Is he planning to switch careers?
Hardcore Harry Potter fans may remember when Rupert Grint drew an exaggerated doodle of the late Alan Rickman as Professor Snape — which Rickman, fortunately, loved. But it turns out that drawing wasn't just something the actor did to combat boredom on set as a kid. It's actually one of his major passions, and he's kept this impressive skill in his back pocket for possible future work.
'I'd like to go into animation one day,' he told the Mirror. 'I draw a lot, a lot of disturbing cartoons — it helps me unwind.'
His enthusiasm about the failed NBC show Imperial City makes a lot more sense now, doesn't it? Grint was so close to combining his love of art and acting, but things just didn't work out in the end. Guess we'll just have to see if he will ever pursue a career focused on animation in the years to come.
Rupert Grint is focused on charity work
While Rupert Grint is a longtime supporter of a number of causes, he focuses much of his time and energy on raising awareness for child health initiatives. In 2011, he began working with Cancer Research UK. He told the Birmingham Mail that it was 'a privilege' to support the charity's Little Star Awards, which he called 'a fantastic way of recognizing the bravery and courage of all children and their families who have been affected by cancer.'
In 2014, Grint became an ambassador for the Starlight Children's Foundation, which grants wishes to sick children. 'I am delighted,' he told Third Sector. 'And I look forward to doing more to support this wonderful charity.'
His personal life became tabloid fodder
Not unlike his Harry Potter castmates, Rupert Grint prefers to keep his personal life private, but the actor's high-profile relationships — particularly his rumored on-again, off-again romance with Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging actress Georgia Groome — have sometimes overshadowed his professional pursuits.
While neither celeb has confirmed their relationship status, the two have been linked since 2011 (via the Daily Mail). When the Mirror asked Grint about his reported girlfriend in 2014, the actor's awkward non-answer did little to squash media hearsay. 'Erm, no...well, not really, er, yeah,' he replied with a nervous laugh, before adding, 'Yes, early days maybe.'
Though Grint's alleged relationship with Groome appears to be an open secret in the entertainment industry, it doesn't seem like either film star has any plans to comment on their supposed romance — even after sparking marriage rumors in April 2019. But that doesn't mean Grint isn't thinking about taking that next step, telling The Guardian the previous December, 'I'd like to settle down and have kids soon. If I had a son, would I call him Ron? It's quite a good name, but probably not. And Grint's a tough name to pair a one-syllable first name with.'
How Rupert Grint is turning it around
Rupert Grint has quietly struggled to truly make his post-Potter mark in the entertainment industry — not that he necessarily minds. 'I'm not the most ambitious person,' he told the Independent. 'I'm quite laid back in that respect ... I'm pretty content with how things are going.'
That said, the well-liked actor's career prospects have shifted in recent years. In 2017, Grint scored two major TV roles. He stars as hustler Charlie Cavendish in Crackle's crime drama Snatch, and expanded his resume by serving as an executive producer on the series, which was later renewed for a second season. Grint also won the part of insurance rep Daniel Glass, who faces an existential crisis after being misdiagnosed with a terminal illness, in the black comedy Sick Note, which has since run for two seasons. Fans also got to enjoy Grint's performance as Inspector Crome in the 2019 BBC miniseries, The ABC Murders. Rounding out the 2010s, the actor scored a major role as Julian Pearce in M. Night Shayamalan's psychological thriller series, Servant, on Apple+.
With his career finally back on track, Grint reflected on his time in Tinseltown in 2018, telling The Guardian, 'I peaked pretty early, but I'm fine with that. It would be ridiculous to think that you can replicate that level of success. It's always going to be a challenge, but ... it's quite fun to surprise people.'
We certainly can't wait to see what this fan-favorite actor does next!
MuggleNet Academia, a venture I co-host, as explained here earlier this week is up and running with the first show featuring an interview with Washington & Lee’s Suzanne Keen. The show is earning raves with more than 2,000 tweets and FaceBook mentions.
One of the hopes of the show is to provide, in addition to thoughtful conversation focused on the world’s best selling books, a list of the courses about the Hogwarts Saga or those featuring Harry Potter in a significant way. Keith Hawk over at MuggleNet has already prepared the page for this listing of University and College Courses but he has asked me to enlist the HogPro All-Pros here to share what courses they have taken or heard of.
A quick Google search, for example, brings up Best Harry Potter Courses (MovieFone, 11 Nov 2010), 15 Fascinating Harry Potter Courses (BestCollegesOnline.com, 18 July 2011), and a note from the University of Nebraska: “Plans for a new 200-level Harry Potter English class for the fall semester of 2013 are under way.” With Harry Potter the Shared Text of Generation Hex, I assume the school year 2012-13, classes for which older students have already registered, will include a tide if not a tsunami of new explorations of Harry’s adventures.
Thanks in advance for sharing the course title, the school name, the Professor’s name, and one or two sentences describing course content!