The Untold Truth Of Rupert Grint

One of the world's three favorite British redheads (alongside Prince Harry and Ed Sheeran, if that was unclear), Rupert Grint first gained international recognition as Harry Potter's ginger acolyte Ronald "Ron" Weasley in the eight movies of the widely beloved series. As for how he feels about repping the ginger community, he once told Glamour, "I've always enjoyed it. I've always enjoyed anything that makes you stand out." We love that.

Obviously, Grint is more than his hair color. Although he isn't super private, and often gives interviews, he has managed to fly somewhat under the radar in recent years — namely by taking on lesser known acting gigs. If you haven't kept up with his social media activity (which is pretty sparse anyway, so you're not missing much), don't fret: We're going into detail about everything juicy that has gone on in Grint's life before, during, and after "Harry Potter." We're shedding "lumos" on him, if you will.

If you're familiar with the "Harry Potter" series, you'll know that the Weasley household can get a little crowded at times. There are the parents, Arthur and Molly, and no fewer than seven children: William "Bill," Charles "Charlie," Percy, twins Fred and George, Ronald "Ron" and Ginevra "Ginny" — and that's before there are grandchildren in the mix, too, according to the "Harry Potter" Fandom page.

Thankfully, playing the many-siblinged Ron wasn't a huge culture shock for actor Rupert Grint. According to the Washington Post, Grint grew up with four younger siblings, whom MyHeritage lists as: James, born in 1990, Georgina, born in 1993, Samantha, born in 1996, and Charlotte, born in 1999. Though born in Harlow, Essex (per EssexLive), Grint grew up in Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire (per Hertfordshire Life) and attended school in Hertford. "Before June 2000 I went to a normal state school and life was ordinary," he once told The Guardian. He also described one of his biggest takeaways from school life: "I feared God as a kid. I went to a Hertfordshire Catholic school. The stories were very powerful and I took them all on board even though I'm from a very secular family."

Rupert Grint loved the "Harry Potter" books when they were first published, but he also had a special affinity with the character he ended up portraying. Now, when someone thinks "Ron Weasley," they automatically think Rupert Grint — and apparently not much has changed since the actor was a kid. "I enjoyed acting, but I only went on the audition because I was such a fan of the books," Grint explained to Inside Jersey in 2010. "Although I had won a Ron Weasley look-alike competition once." Say what?

Upon hearing that nugget, the interviewer said exactly what everyone was thinking: "It'd be pretty embarrassing now if you'd lost." Seriously, can you imagine? "Right! For the (film) audition, I even did this sort of rap song I'd written about the character," Grint then revealed, clearly not realizing the absolute gold he was giving the world. Unfortunately for his fans and fortunately for him, that video is locked up more securely than a Gringotts Wizarding Bank account these days: "I've got that tape safe at home now. You'll never see it," Grint told Inside Jersey. And while no one will probably ever get to see the original, the actor did very kindly recreate it during an interview once. "Hello there, my name's Rupert Grint," it went. "I hope you like this and don't think I stink." Clearly, the casting directors thought he smelled of roses, given the job they trusted him with.

Rupert Grint became world-famous at an early age, so school was no longer a priority for him — if it had ever been. "I didn't really like school that much," Grint told the Washington Post about dropping out at 16 years old. In all fairness, he did have better things to do, like fight giant spiders. According to Tradeschool.com, he went to a Catholic elementary school, then moved on to the Richard Hale School. Per the school's website, its aims are for students to "respect others," "aim high," and "show commitment" — values that Grint has truly embodied as he's grown up.

But though his schooling has seemingly influenced his character, it didn't define his life the way "Harry Potter" did. "My life has a very distinct before-and-after line," Grint told The Guardian in 2018. "My dad sold Formula One memorabilia and my mum made wedding cakes and looked after five kids. I was very grounded." When he became a household name practically overnight, it was a life-defining experience for him. "When I got the part of Ron Weasley I left school straight away and things have never been the same," he explained.

In 2006, at age 18, Rupert Grint suffered a blow: One of his oldest friends, Joshua Lodge, was caught engaging in sexual activity with a minor during the actor's birthday party. Lodge was "​​charged with assault by penetration and sexual activity with a child," the Daily Mail reported. In 2007, however, the charge "was reduced to sexual activity with a child on the advice of the Crown Prosecution Service" without trial, according to Metro. Lodge was listed on the Sex Offenders' Register for the next two years, per British protocol.

"In the light of the verdict I feel it prevalent to issue the following statement," Grint said. "I am totally appalled and disgusted by the actions of Mr Joshua Lodge. I am one hundred per cent behind the victim in this case and indeed all victims affected by this type of crime." Grint and Lodge met at the Richard Hale School, and the actor allegedly cried while filming "Harry Potter" after learning about the actions of his former friend. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

As fans of "Harry Potter" know, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's two best friends, start dating at the end of the series and eventually get married. When asked by Inside Jersey if kissing his co-star was "awkward," Rupert Grint didn't hesitate in his answer. "It was, actually," he revealed. "We were both really dreading it." Unfortunately, Grint and Emma Watson had pretty much grown up together, so kissing each other was the last thing they wanted to do. While it feels like "awkward" would be an understatement, luckily it all went smoothly in the end. "I've known Emma since she was 9, we've watched each other grow up, formed this sort of brother/sister bond, and suddenly I'm leaning in to kiss her," Grint said. "Well, it felt completely wrong ... but, you know, you try to sink into the character and divorce yourself from it. We ended up laughing hysterically afterwards."

Apparently, Daniel Radcliffe didn't help to smooth things over during what Watson described as "the most horrifying thing anyone one of us had to go through." Radcliffe said during the "Harry Potter" reunion, "I did not make this better because I've been told significantly that I was being an absolute d*ck about this and was like, 'I'm gonna come on set and watch you guys kiss,'" (via Entertainment Weekly). "I'm sorry about that guys," he apologized.

For Rupert Grint, filming "Harry Potter" was overall a very positive experience, but he still had a pretty complicated relationship with it all — especially because he was involved in it during his formative childhood and adolescence years. "I had just finished my GCSEs [British exams]," he told The Independent about a wobble he had after filming "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." "I thought 'Do I actually want to keep doing this? It's a bit of a drag.' Because obviously it's a big sacrifice. You take for granted anonymity, just doing normal stuff, just going out. Everything was different and a little bit scary. There were times when I was like 'I'm done.'"

But mostly, "Harry Potter" was an amazing life and learning experience for the actor. As he told Backstage in 2021, "when I started 'Potter,' being on set and being surrounded by so many amazing actors was an education for all of us, really — just watching how everyone works." While he was still in the midst of filming, Grint spoke to Inside Jersey about how much he loved his time as Ron Weasley. "I really can't find any downside. I've had a chance to do things I'd never do otherwise, to travel. If I had to pick anything negative, it'd only be that it could get quite exhausting, with the filming and everything. I wasn't even able to take the time to have my tonsils out."

Starring in a franchise as huge as "Harry Potter" allowed Rupert Grint to build up a pretty hefty and dedicated fanbase, which has sometimes directly helped in his career. For one example, his movie, "Cherrybomb," wasn't going to get a theatrical release after it didn't find success at the Berlin Film Festival. However, his loyal fans dreamt up an entire campaign to nab a release for the movie — including a petition. "I am backing this campaign wholeheartedly," Grint said at the time (per BBC News). "I'm delighted by the huge support the film has already received on the official Facebook page and other sites on the web and am so grateful to my fans in particular, who have travelled [sic] the world to support the film at festivals and preview screenings."

"Cherrybomb" was released in 2009, and although it didn't quite swing that "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, fans — and Grint — were vindicated. According to its IMDb page, the movie is a sort of British "Superbad," in which three teenagers get into all sorts of trouble. "I loved the script because it was very, kind of fast-paced, it was just ... it was very different as well from, I guess, kind of 'Harry Potter' really," Grint said in a 2010 interview. "It just seemed like a real kind of challenge, really."

In what could be considered one of the coolest pop-culture crossovers ever, Rupert Grint stood in for fellow famous British ginger Ed Sheeran in the singer's "Lego House" music video. In said video, Grint mouths along to the words while wearing Sheeran's signature hoodie-and-jeans look, is seen walking backstage and standing outside a tour bus, playing with LEGO bricks, writing lyrics in a notebook, and playing a guitar while looking slightly disheveled and crazed. When at last he makes it on stage, he is pounced on by security guards, revealing that he is actually a stalking superfan rather than just an actor playing Ed Sheeran. Photos of the real Sheeran then pop up in Grint's life, including one of his face stuck to a creepy human-sized doll. A live Ed Sheeran only shows up toward the very end, when he's preparing to walk onstage.

This video is a major pop-culture moment, but it almost didn't happen at all. When Sheeran was starting out, Tom Felton shared his video on Twitter, a connection which snowballed into an intro with Grint. "[Felton] actually told me the other day that it wasn't as open/shut as I thought it was, like he really had to convince Rupert's agent that this was a good thing," Sheeran once told James and Oliver Phelps on their Normal Not Normal podcast. We're glad Grint's agent eventually saw reason. 

Rupert Grint is more than just an actor and Ed Sheeran lookalike. In 2011, he joined his "Harry Potter" co-star Tom Felton (who played one of Harry Potter's foils, Draco Malfoy) in a brand new venture. The two actors lent their faces and expert posing skills to LA-based fashion brand, Band of Outsiders. As reported by Rolling Stone, the actors modeled for the fashion house's Fall 2011 line, appearing in vintage, Polaroid-style photos that were captured around the streets of Los Angeles.  

"I love those films and the characters so much," Scott Sternberg, designer and photographer for Band of Outsiders, told Style.com at the time (via British Vogue). "They're full of imagination and endless ideas. With the last film coming out this summer, it felt like a cool opportunity to capture this moment in these two actors' lives, and give them a chance to poke a little fun at the whole thing too." Sternberg was behind the camera for Grint and Felton's photo shoot. And although Grint hasn't made an appearance on any Fashion Week runways since then, his actor's headshots show he's still got it where modeling is concerned.

Starring in an eight movie-strong series of international blockbusters from the age of 11, it stands to reason that Rupert Grint would rack up a certain amount of cash. But as a kid, extremely unsurprisingly, he had basically no idea what he was doing when it came to managing his money. Speaking to the Washington Post in 2006, Grint explained that he was "not totally sure" how much he was actually worth, because his dad handled all his finances. "I don't have a lot to do with it," he said.

When Inside Jersey asked Grint in 2011 what he found to be the most shocking thing from starting work on the "Harry Potter" franchise, he deadpanned, "I was quite surprised that I was actually going to get paid," a sweet sentiment. Presumably these days, a grown-up Grint handles his own finances — and expects to be paid for the work he does. He is worth an admirable $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The "Harry Potter" movies and HBO Max reunion account for a large chunk of that, but Grint has also appeared in popular TV shows like "Servant," "Snatch," and "Sick Note," and fan-favorite movies "Moonwalkers," "Instruments of Darkness," and "Cherrybomb," to name just a few, according to his IMDb page.

There's a pretty short list of awards that someone can win that really says they've "made" it in the world: a Nobel prize, a Pulitzer prize, an Oscar, a Grammy. And while Rupert Grint has won and been nominated for his fair share of acting awards, we're kind of obsessed with the fact that he made it into the Guinness World Records. In 2020, Grint finally joined Instagram, and his first post was an adorable photo of his daughter Wednesday. Upon creating an account, Grint became the fastest user on the platform to reach 1 million followers. David Attenborough previously held the record, but apparently it's hard to beat the "Harry Potter"/cute baby combo on a website crowded with millennials.

Unfortunately, Grint's now several millions of followers have had to contend with disappointment since 2020: The actor has only ever posted a handful of photos. Acknowledging this, he posted another adorable photo of Wednesday on Jan. 21, 2022, writing, "Hello! Turns out I suck at Instagram. But Happy New Year anyway!" As for awards for his actual work, Grint has notably won a People's Choice Award in 2012 for Favorite Ensemble Movie Cast alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, and a Hollywood Critics Association Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series for "Servant" in 2021.

Rupert Grint and his partner, "Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging" actor Georgia Groome, got together just as the "Harry Potter" movies were wrapping up, and it sounds like they have lived out their personal fairytale ever since. "It's a very natural thing — we're just best friends," Grint told Glamour about their relationship in 2021. "We're kind of the same person; we think the same way. That's always made it work — that's why it's lasted. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, but it works and it's great." So sweet!

Aside from having basically the same personality, there's another essential ingredient in the secret sauce of Grint and Groome's relationship: They both have the same relative level of fame. Speaking to Radio Times about getting recognized on the street, Grint said it's an advantage to form relationships with people "who have that kind of understanding. It definitely helps. It's not like being in One Direction, but there's always something, every day, even with my hat on. It's never calmed down."

Rupert Grint and his long-time partner Georgia Groome welcomed a baby girl together in 2020, and little Wednesday has completely turned her dad's life around — for the better, of course. "I feel very comfortable being a dad," Grint told Glamour in 2021. "I am still kind of coming to terms with what being a dad is, but I'm loving it. I'm absolutely loving it." Reflecting on that one time he bought an ice cream truck, Grint explained that's not really him anymore. "Now I've left the mad things," he said. "I'm just a dad."

He wasn't just saying that, either. Rupert Grint's daughter, Wednesday, hasn't only changed his life; she has become his life. "It's amazing how it completely kind of takes over everything," he told ET in December 2021. "It's all I really care about, so it's been great." That kind of unconditional love is just beautiful to witness. The responsibility of keeping this little person alive is not lost on Grint, either, who began telling Esquire about the time "Wednesday's hand turned purple," but cut himself short. Going into a different story, he told the publication, "I don't want to go too into detail, but the first night was just terrifying. You can't sleep at all, just constantly checking that she's breathing." Seems like he's doing a fine job so far.

J.K. Rowling has made several comments that have angered and upset the trans community in the past, but it was a sentiment she expressed in 2020 that truly incensed people around the world. Even die-hard "Harry Potter" fans began to argue that people should no longer support the franchise in any shape or form. "The Wizarding World isn't the moral sanctuary it once was," wrote fan Kathleen Walsh for Marie Claire. "And because we are all adults now, we have to acknowledge that."

Many people involved in the "Harry Potter" films spoke out against Rowling's trans-exclusionary stance — Rupert Grint among them. "I firmly stand with the trans community and echo the sentiments expressed by many of my peers," he said in a statement to The Sunday Times in 2020 (via USA Today). "Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment." Speaking to The Times again in 2022, Grint shed more light on his relationship with the "Harry Potter" author these days, comparing her to an "auntie." "I don't necessarily agree with everything my auntie says, but she's still my auntie," he said. "It's a tricky one." Disagreeing with family members — even ones acquired later in life — is something everyone can relate to. And Grint is right, it is very "tricky."