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Daily Record
Daily Record
Entertainment
Nicola Croal

Where are Harry Potter stars now - 'quitting' acting, new parents and Oxford degree

Harry Potter fans have gone wild with excitement after Netflix uploaded all eight movies from the worldwide-loved franchise to the streaming platform last week.

The fantasy film series which is based off J.K Rowling's best selling novels came to an end in 2011, but the global love for the wizarding world seemingly remains stronger than ever with all films dominating the Netflix's top ten chart just days after their release.

Danielle Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson were just 11 years old when they all rose to fame in 2001 after being cast as the leading roles of the heroic Gryffindor trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

With such a huge cast over the course of the decade-long filming, many of the actors have gone down different paths in life, with some settling down families while others have focused more on their acting careers.

Here we take a closer look at what some of our most beloved Harry Potter characters are doing with their lives now.

Rupert Grint

Rupert Grint's career has not been as successful as his other co-stars since the Harry Potter films ended. (Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images))

Rupert Grint, who is best known for his iconic role of Ron Weasley in the beloved Harry Potter franchise, has continued his acting career and also expanded his talents out to stage performances and television shows.

Grint decided to take time out after the final Harry Potter film but returned to acting to star in the World War Two film Into the Night in 2012, followed by his stage debut in a major revival of Jez Butterworth’s play Mojo.

He has also starred in the comedy sitcoms Sick Note and Snatch with his most recent project being Apple TV+ psychological four part thriller series, Servant where Grint plays Julian Pearce.

Grint has undeniably not achieved the same success after Harry Potter as his co-stars, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson but the actor previously admitted to the Guardian: "I peaked pretty early, but I'm fine with that".

The now 35-year-old and father-of-one has also achieved success in his personal life, having been in a relationship with his long term girlfriend, Georgia Groome for over a decade.

The pair became parents for the first time in 2020 when they welcomed their baby girl, Wednesday G Grint into the world.

Grint also recently admitted he was considering quitting acting to become a builder or carpenter.

Speaking to The Sunday Times Magazine, he said: "I've always toyed with the idea of walking away from acting and becoming a dad has increased those feelings.

"Don't get me wrong, I love working on Servant and feel extremely comfortable in a TV environment. But Potter happened at such a young age and I found it hard to deal with the fame side of things..."

He then went on to explain he's good with his hands and dreams of putting his DIY talents to better use.

"It would be nice to go off and do something completely different, like building or carpentry. Before lockdown I was always hanging around in B&Q, buying more tools," he explained. And I've just started my own miniature pottery production line. If Wednesday's napping I throw some clay on my wheel and make tiny jugs and bowls."

Matthew Lewis

Matthew Lewis stars as the dorky Gryffindor student, Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films.

However, the star now looks far different to his famous nerdy character in real life after undergoing a major glow up.

Matthew Lewis has had a huge glow up since his Neville Longbottom days (Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images)

He shocked fans in 2017 with his shirtless photoshoot on the cover of Attitude magazine which showed off his toned Post-potter body, looking worlds away from his Hogwarts acting days.

Aside from his good looks, the Leeds born actor has also gone on to star in several British television shows with his one of his most notable projects being the second season of the popular UK crime drama Happy Valley.

Lewis is now married to VIP events manager Angela Jones after he reportedly first met her during a Harry Potter event at Universal in Orlando.

Emma Watson

Since her Hermoine Granger days, Emma Watson has done a lot of women's rights work, went back to University and also kept up her impressive acting career (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Elton John AIDS Foundation)

Emma Watson has been very busy since her Hermione Granger days with the actress juggling her time between her successful acting career and obtaining degrees at both Oxford and Brown University.

The 33-year-old feminist is also known for her extensive work in women's rights and gender equality and was appointed a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in 2014.

Watson was cast as the leading role of Belle in the live adaptation of Disney's Beauty and the Beast in 2017 and most recently starred in the latest cinematic adaptation of Little Women as Meg March in 2019.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower star is reportedly set to return to Oxford University this September to take on an MA in Creative Writing, ten years after her first degree.

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe has starred in a number of movies since his Harry Potter fame and has more recently became a father for the first time last month (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The Roku Channel) (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for The Roku Channel)

No matter what Daniel Radcliffe does with his career, he will forever be primarily known for his unforgettable role of Harry Potter.

The child star, who rose to fame when he was 12-years-old in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, has starred in numerous films since the Warner Bro hit series came to an end.

Radcliffe, 33, has gone on to star in a wide range of other films since his Potter days which have seen him take on very different characters from his heroic wizard role.

He has since starred in horror movie Woman in the Black (2012), taken on a more romantic role in What If (2013), played the bratty billionaire villain in the illusion movie Now You See me 2 (2016) and more recently starred in the comedy (Lost City) alongside Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum.

Similarly to his co-star Rupert, Daniel has also taken a liking to theatre roles and has starred in Broadway productions of several shows including 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying' and 'The Cripple of Inishman'.

Daniel is the most recent star out of the Harry Potter cast to become a father after he welcomed his first child with his long-term partner Erin Darke last month.

Robert Pattison

Robert Pattinson went on to achieve international stardom after his role as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Photo by Taylor Hill/Getty Images)

After starring in Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire in 2005 as Cedric Diggory, Pattison has gone on to achieve international stardom.

Despite only appearing in one film out of the eight part series, the 37-year-old is now one of the most successful actors from the entire Harry Potter cast.

Pattinson is now best known for his role as Edward Cullen in the hit Twilight Saga and most recently took on the impressive superhero role of the new Bruce Wayne in the Batman films which has two sequels planned.

The Hollywood actor is currently in a relationship with supermodel and actress Suki Waterhouse. He called off his engagement to FKA Twigs in late 2017. Previously, he dated Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart.

Tom Felton

Tom Felton is rumoured to be returning to the Harry Potter franchise in the new HBO series which is due to be released in 2025 or 2026. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

Felton plays Draco Malfoy in the films who is famously known as Harry Potter's arch nemesis at Hogwarts.

Besides his role as the Slytherin villain, the actor is best known for his role in The Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011.

He has also starred in Troian Bellisario's 2017 film Feed, the hit CW's The Flash in 2016-2017 and the sci-fi series Origin in 2018.

Felton released his memoir Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard in October last year where he speaks about how he struggled to grow up in the spotlight.

It's been rumoured that Tom is set to return to the franchise but this time he will star as none other than his original character's father, Luicius Malfoy in the new Harry Potter HBO series.

Evanna Lynch

Evanna Lynch who plays Luna Lovegood in the films is now a big vegan activist and has also continued her acting career (Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images) (Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images))

Evanna Lynch is known for her role as the eccentric Ravenclaw student Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films.

The Irish actress famously bagged her role in the films after writing to J.K. Rowling as a fan and confiding in her about her struggles with anorexia which she speaks more of in her 2021 memoir.

Lynch has since centred a lot of her career around vegan activism with her roles in the short films "Behind the McChicken Wrapper," and "You Eat Other Animals?".

She has also launched two podcasts called the "The ChickPeeps" and "Just Beings," and continued her acting career, taking on a voice role in the Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2018 and appeared on two episodes of the BBC One crime series "Silent Witness" in 2021.

Katie Leung

Scots actress Katie Leung who plays Cho Chang in the films became a mother for the first time last year (Photo by John Phillips/John Phillips/Getty Images) (John Phillips/John Phillips/Getty Images)

Scottish actress, Katie Leung starred as Harry's first love, Cho Chang in the Harry Potter series.

Leung, who was born in Motherwell, has also continued her acting career and has starred in various British dramas in recent years including Roadkill and the BBC One Drama, The Nest.

The 35-year-old recently became a mother for the first time in October 2022, according to her IMDb profile, as she welcomed her son Wolf into the world.

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