Back in 2001, Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint quickly rose to fame as child actors in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The franchise has since catapulted the trio to superstardom and riches, with screaming Potter devotees every where they turn. The actors have been so iconisized by their roles in Harry Potter that when they branch out, fans are both excited and shocked, but also extremely loyal.
Fan loyalty is one thing Rupert Grint truly appreciates. Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter series, most recent project secured a distribution deal thanks to his HP fans. In his latest film, Cherrybomb, Grint plays Malachy, a boy fighting for the affections of his friend Michelle. Malachy and Luke (who is also going after Michelle) try to one up each other for Michelle’s attention, which escalates to a wild weekend of theft, drink and drugs.
Cherrybomb premiered at the Berlin Film Festival but didn’t secure a distributor. Thanks to an online petition by Ice Cream Man, Rupert Grint fans got the attention of a film distributor who later secured a deal with Cherrybomb. The film is expected to be released in 2010.
But this isn’t the first time the redhead branched away from witches and wizards, in 2006 Grint starred in Driving Lessons. In the film, Grint plays Ben Marshall, a shy seventeen year old with a domineering religious mother and a push-over father. Ben gets a summer job assisting retired actress Evie Walton (Julie Walters), helping her around the home and driving her around town. When Evie takes Ben to the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the road trip proves lifealtering for the teenager.
Driving Lessons is a very cute and quirky film. It is thoroughly enjoyable and Grint quickly makes audiences forget his Ron Weasley character.
Ron Weasley’s crush Hermione has also been making waves outside of Hogwarts. Emma Watson plays Pauline Fossil in Ballet Shoes. Ballet Shoes is the story of three adopted sisters-Pauline, Petrova and Posy-who struggle to make their dreams come true. Watson’s character aspires to be an actress, but when she lands the lead in Alice in Wonderland, she lets the achievement get to her head.
Outside of acting, Watson has also been gaining attention for her American post-secondary education and her modeling. Her Burberry ads are stunning and have been gracing the pages of Vogue, among other fashion magazines.
And last, but certainly not least, is Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe. Racliffe made headlines for his role in the play Equus, mainly because of the nudity. But a role that got the actor a little less attention was in a film called December Boys.
Set in 1960s Australia, December Boys follows four orphans born in December. The boys are sent for a beach stay with Mr. and Mrs. McAnsh for their birthday, and have the adventure of a lifetime. Radcliffe plays Maps, the eldest orphan, who the other boys say will never be adopted because of his age. While there, the boys meet Teresa and her husband Fearless, who they overhear discussing adopting one orphan. Each boy wants to be the “chosen one,” and strives to gain the couples love.
December Boys is a heartwarming tale of friendship, family and love. Sans spectacles, Radcliffe eases audiences into forgetting he is the lightning-scarred star of Harry Potter.
Although the three young stars act in the Harry Potter series, their talent helps fans forget their iconic roles and look at them as a different character. Whether it be Grint in Driving Lessons, Watson in Burberry ads, or Radcliffe in December Boys, they make it easy to forget their Gryffindor scarves and magic wands, if only for an hour or two.