Rupert Grint recently told the BBC that Ron Weasley’s new actor Alastair Stout wrote him a letter before he started production on the HBO series Harry Potter. Grint played Ron in eight Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2011. Stout will play Ron in HBO’s reboot of the series, alongside fellow newcomers Dominic McLaughlin as Harry and Arabella Stanton as Hermione.
“I wrote him a letter before the game started and passed the baton, so to speak,” Grint said. “I really just wished him the best. I had so much fun stepping into this world that I hope he has the same experience… It’s very strange to see this cycle happen again. I’m really curious to see what it will be like.”
Grint acknowledged that there was “a little bit of a family resemblance” between himself and Stout, adding, “I think it’s great that it’s something completely new. It’s going to be its own thing, and I think that’s fun.”
Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the film series, similarly reached out to Harry Potter to take over his iconic role. Radcliffe told “Good Morning America” earlier this month that she wrote a letter to McLaughlin and received a “very sweet letter” back.
“I don’t want to be a ghost in these kids’ lives, but I just wanted to write him a letter and say, ‘I hope you’re having the best time, and I hope you’re having an even better time than I was. I had a great time, and I hope you’re having an even better time,'” Radcliffe explained. “And I do. When I see pictures of him and the other kids, I just want to hug them. They look so young. I just look at them and think, ‘Oh, it’s crazy that I was doing that at that age.'” But it’s also incredibly sweet, and I hope they’re having a great time. ”
Grint told the BBC that even with a new Harry Potter film in the works, he still “will never step out of Ron Weasley’s shadow.”
“That’s fine. I think it’s great,” he said. “I love meeting people who really felt like this was part of their childhood… It has a deeper meaning for a lot of people my age and even more for the generation that’s finding it now. It’s great. It gives me a lot of pride. It was a huge thing. I don’t think I’ll ever fully step out of his shadow, but I’m okay with that.”
Additionally, Grint has always been a champion of new actors taking over the series. In July 2023, before HBO announced a reboot of the Harry Potter series, Grint gave an interview to GQ Magazine UK in which he encouraged someone else to play the role of Ron Weasley, adding, “I would love to see ‘Harry Potter’ made into a TV show. I think it would work really well. I’m sure the movies will be remade anyway.”
The Harry Potter series is scheduled to air on HBO and HBO Max in 2027.
