While primarily known for playing Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise, Rupert Grint has been branching out into many different genres of film and television since. The comedy-drama series Snatch, the psychological thriller Servant, and the war film Into the White are just a few of the projects he's acting in since the last Harry Potter film released in 2011. Grint recently talked with Bustle magazine and revealed that while he looks back on his decade-long stint in the Harry Potter franchise fondly, he's not necessarily sad that it's over:

"Potter was so full on — [filming] all year, then we’d promote the rest of the time. It was quite suffocating... [I] 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 also says he "merged" with his character, Ron Weasley, so much, that he considers Ron to be his second name:

"In the movies, we merged into one. By the end of it, I was playing myself. The lines were blurred... I answer to it, if someone calls me Ron. It’s my second name.”

Remembering last year's Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, Grint says "it was a good opportunity to reflect on everything and just say how crazy it was. It’s always nice to look back.” Recently, he said he would be willing to return to the franchise, but only if the other cast members would return as well, and only if the "timing" was perfect.

Related: Why Working with Shyamalan is Rupert Grint’s Career Renaissance

M. Night Shyamalan Loves Working With Rupert Grint

knock at the cabin
Universal Pictures

Rupert Grint has collaborated with renowned director M. Night Shyamalan on the Apple TV series Servant, in which he plays an alcoholic brother to his tormented sister, who mourns the death of her infant by taking care of an eerily lifelike doll. Shyamalan has lots of praise for Grint, and says it's impossible to find someone who doesn't like him:

"He’s a person of such abandon to his character without any protective mechanisms. He has a connection to his emotions in a way that’s just pure. He’s kind to everybody. He’s always on time. He’s super professional. It comes effortlessly to him. He’s just an unusual human being in every way. He’s truly become a wonderful actor. I defy you to find somebody that doesn’t have something good to say about him.”

Rupert Grint became a father in November 2020, and balances his time between acting and being a dad. He calls the experience relaxing, and says his daughter has given him more appreciation for the rarely-appreciated things in life:

“It is constantly on your mind, that everything can kill her... [But] she’s relaxed me. I used to be a real insomniac. I’m enjoying being a dad, doing dad things... She’s obsessed with the moon. I like the moon, but I’ve never really paid it much attention. It’s an amazing thing. She’s taught me to appreciate everything again... I’m happy with where I’ve ended up.”

Rupert Grint's next project is Knock at the Cabin, a thriller with a gut-wrenching moral dilemma. It is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan and also stars Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Abby Quinn.