Rupert Grint steals door number of Harry Potter’s house and his other ‘crime confessions’
Rupert Grint —Ruben V. Nepales
LOS ANGELES—Several years after his last shooting day for the final “Harry Potter” movie, Rupert Grint fessed up that he took home the door number of Harry’s house on Privet Drive. And, since we were talking about his new heist TV series, “Snatch,” the actor admitted that earlier in his pre-“Potter” life, he, well, snatched a … hairbrush at Woolworths.
Ever since we met the ginger-haired actor when he was a kid playing Ron Weasley in the first “Harry Potter” movies, we’ve always described him as “endearingly eccentric.”
Now, in our nth interview with him, this time in LA, Rupert, 28, is just as wonderfully unconventional.
He’s been busy doing TV shows. He’s starring in “Snatch,” Crackle’s take on Guy Ritchie’s iconic 2000 caper; “Sick Note”; and “Urban Myths.”
Excerpts from our funny, rambling talk:
Were you a fan of the original film? I was a huge fan. I don’t think I was old enough to see it when it came out.
The film is iconic, but many people couldn’t understand some of the dialogue. Yeah. As the series goes on, you’ll need subtitles definitely.
Alex decided not to do a copy of it. I play Charlie …. [who] is one of these people who comes from an aristocratic background. He’s very proud of his family name, but he doesn’t have any money.
He lives in this derelict mansion. He always feels a little detached from his home life. All the central characters in “Snatch” have that in common.
They’re running away from complicated family lives that they don’t feel a part of.
So they form this family unit where they practice petty crime and little hustles.
Rupert Grint in “Snatch”
Why do you think people are fascinated with these robbery stories? It’s a real escape because it’s something that you’ve never imagined yourself doing.
Did you have consultants on the set? Yeah, we did. The story is loosely based on this real heist that happened in the ’80s when gold was stolen and never recovered.
Did you ever steal something in real life? I did when I was younger. I stole a hairbrush (laughs) and a “Billy-goats Gruff” [book].
Why did you steal a hairbrush, of all things? I never brush my hair. I don’t know why (laughs).
You also star in another TV series, “Sick Note.” What’s your role in that one? I play this guy who is a bit of a wastrel. He just lost his job; his girlfriend just left him. He’s just … wasting his life until he had a doctor’s appointment. He finds out he’s got esophageal cancer.
He breaks the news to everyone. People feel sorry for him. He gets his job and girlfriend back.
Then, he finds out he was misdiagnosed, but he doesn’t want to lose this better life. He maintains this lie that he has cancer.
You’ve been busy on TV. In “Urban Myths,” you play August Kubizek, Hitler’s best friend. He was a terrible artist and got no respect from anyone in the art world.
Do you still find time to play musical instruments? I play a little bit of guitar, but I’m not good at all. I’ve tried so many different instruments.
Do you still have your ice cream van? I do. I learned to drive in that van. I actually took it to the set on the last day of filming “Potter.” I served ice cream to the crew.
You have money, fame and everything. How does that complicate having a relationship? With fame comes a lot of complications with trust and stuff.
Have you found a girlfriend? I’ve found one, yeah.
Congratulations. Is she also in the entertainment industry? Possibly, yes (laughs).
Was there any downside to being very wealthy at such a young age? I was 11 years old when I agreed to do “Potter.” There’s a sacrifice in not ever being invisible … sometimes, it’s nice to be a little anonymous.
Going back to the ice cream van, what prompted you to buy it? The ice cream van was always a dream of mine. I don’t think I ever really wanted to be an actor. It was always to be an ice cream man (laughs).
What are you driving now? Have you moved up to maybe a fire truck? I’ve looked into it (buying a fire truck). I’ve got a car, just a normal one—a Range Rover Sport.
What’s your relationship with money? I have a very strange relationship with money. I was like 12, 13 when I first started making money. I never knew the value of it. I bought llamas and hovercraft and just went a bit mad.
What’s your latest extravagance? Now that I’ve gotten older, it’s quite boring stuff, like vacuum cleaners.
In other areas of your post-“Potter” life, what has it been like? It’s been good. Finishing “Potter” was a big moment for me.
“Potter” was such a huge, significant part of my life. It was about 12 years of my life.
I was ready to move on, to live a bit and catch up on stuff I missed out on … it was quite refreshing to be doing nothing.
I traveled a bit and did lots of things. I did a few independent movies and explored theater. I did a play in London and on Broadway.
Did you take something from the “Potter” set? It is shameful to say that on the last day, I took the street number on Harry’s house on Privet Drive (laughs).
How often do you see your “Potter” friends? I still see them quite often. We experienced a very unique childhood that will always bond us.
Do you find a need to sometimes distance yourself? No, not at all. I saw Daniel (Radcliffe) quite recently while I was in New York. I see Tom (Felton) quite often. I play golf with James and Oliver Phelps—the Weasley twins—occasionally.
If you have a child someday who gets offered an opportunity like you had with “Potter,” what will you say to your child? It was great. I was a huge fan of the books. It was a dream to be a part of it.
But I would say, definitely think more about it. I don’t think I realized exactly the consequences on my private life. It affected the whole family. I’m one of five children.
How do your siblings deal with the attention on them, too? They’re all quite a little older. It just made life a little more difficult for them in some ways.
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