It’s not a joke that Rupert Grint, who breathed life to Ron Weasley in the “Harry Potter” saga, bears an unusual resemblance to Ed Sheeran. However, Grint proved to Sheeran’s die-hard fanatics that he could impersonate the British singer-songwriter, even just for a TV segment.
In a gag skit for MTV, Grint mocked his ginger-head doppelgänger by dressing up like him and holding a guitar. But instead of performing on stage, Grint disclosed that Sheeran was a “fake character” brought about by a figment of his imagination.
“After Potter, all I wanted to do was stretch myself, create some real magic, so I created a character. He’d have the voice of an angel, impossibly wispy facial hair, so I bought a guitar and a bunch of flannel, and I called him Ed, Ed Sheeran,” he revealed.
READ: ‘Harry Potter’ star Rupert Grint: Many confuse me for Ed Sheeran
While Sheeran’s fans were left in shambles, Grint explained that creating Sheeran was his greatest accomplishment yet, but said he was exhausted from dealing with his alter ego. “Such a weird name, right? Not a cool name like Rupert Grint,” he said. “I just didn’t expect everyone to think he was real. He became my greatest activity and the bane of my existence…I can’t balance anymore. To stay forward, Ed is no more!”
https://twitter.com/edsheeran/status/844600901172183043
In the end, host Josh Horowitz and Sheeran’s gloomy fangirls persuaded Grint to continue his double life: creating music as Sheeran and juggling his acting career as Grint. Sheeran shared the skit on his Twitter page, captioning it with “Rupert, you lad.”
Earlier this month, Grint, 28, spoke out about how he handled fans who mistook him for the 26-year-old crooner. “It’s kind of 50/50 now,” Grint told host James Corden. “Someone stops me, it could go either way. It could be Ed or it could be me.”
Grint’s gig comes after he dramatically read the lyrics of Sheeran’s “Shape of You” for Yahoo! Celebrity on Monday, drawing laughter and cheers from social media users. Previously, Grint starred in Sheeran’s music clip for “Lego House” in 2011 as Sheeran’s look-alike and manic fan.
Today, Grint regains his acting prowess in the British TV series “Snatch.” Gianna Francesca Catolico /ra