For many actors who grow up inside a massive film franchise, that first breakout role can loom over their careers for years. Some embrace it, while others spend a long time trying to move past it. That’s why it’s refreshing to hear a former Wizarding World Universe star speak so candidly about his relationship with Harry Potter and his determination not to be “shackled” by it. Honestly, his ability to keep reinventing himself is impressive.
Harry Melling, who played Dudley Dursley in five of the eight Harry Potter films, recently reflected on his early career and the mindset he had even as a child actor. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, he explained that his ambitions were already pointing in a different direction. Even while working on Harry Potter, Melling said theater was always his true passion:
