Rupert Grint: What Next?

The Harry Potter movies would not be the same without Rupert Grint. This charming ginger plays the role of Harry Potter's best friend, Ron Weasley. Rupert Grint is a favorite actor among both haters and lovers of the Harry Potter movies, and his performance has steadily improved during the years of filming. But now that the cast has completed filming the Harry Potter movies, what is to become of Rupert Grint? Will he continue to land roles in major motion pictures, or will his career fizzle out? Or is Rupert Grint more of an academic than Ron Weasley, destined to attend a top-notch university (like fellow star Emma Watson)? Nobody can be certain what is in store for Rupert Grint, but given his success in the Harry Potter movies and other films, there's a good chance we'll be seeing more of him.

Of the three main actors in the Harry Potter movies, Rupert Grint has by far the most experience outside of his usual Ron Weasley character. Rupert Grint appeared in a number of other films while shooting the Harry Potter movies. Given the massive time commitment required for filming the Harry Potter movies, it is clear that Rupert Grint has a great work ethic and is passionate about acting. Further evidence of this dedication is seen in the rapid improvement of Rupert Grint as an actor over the last decade. In the first couple Harry Potter movies, Rupert Grint made Ron Weasley seem overly shallow (even more than Ron Weasley already is in the books). As a young actor, Rupert Grint relied heavily on slapstick humor and was unconvincing during serious moments. But by the third and fourth Harry Potter movies, his portrayal of Ron Weasley was receiving acclaim from all angles. Ron Alfonso, the director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, commented that Rupert Grint was "the likely future star out of the Hogwarts trio." (Lamble, 2)

Rupert Grint developed his acting outside of his Ron Weasley role in the film Thunderpants (2002). In 2006, Rupert Grint received praise for his performance alongside Julie Walters in Driving Lessons. A few years later, he again landed non Ron Weasley roles in Cherrybomb and Wild Target. On the side, Rupert Grint did voice work in a BBC documentary. His performances were strong in these side projects, and continued to grow stronger in the later Harry Potter movies. Arguably, Rupert Grint gave the best performance of the three main stars in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, in which he deftly handled the newfound complexity of the character Ron Weasley.

Currently, Rupert Grint is filming Eddie the Eagle, in which he plays the lead role of British skier Eddie Edwards. Rupert Grint has said little of his future plans, except that he plans to continue acting. If his acting continues to dazzle audiences as it has in the Harry Potter movies and other films, we can expect to see much more of Rupert Grint in the future.

Sources: Lamble, David. "The Dystopian Future Awaits." Bay Area Reporter Online.