Harry Melling Details Fear of Being “Shackled” by Harry Potter

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Harry Melling was keen for a life outside Privet Drive.

It’s been almost 15 years since the Harry Potter series ended, and Harry Melling, who played Dudley Dursley in five of the films, has built a successful acting career beyond the wizarding world. He’s appeared in popular shows and movies like The Queen’s Gambit, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and The Pale Blue Eye. He feels this success is the result of plans he made during his time as a child actor.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, published December 16, Matthew Lewis (known for his role in Harry Potter) shared that he knew from a young age – around 10 years old – he wanted to learn to perform Shakespeare and become a stage actor. He was inspired by many experienced actors in the Harry Potter films who had strong backgrounds in theater, and he aimed for a similar career path. He also noted that attending drama school significantly shaped his aspirations and goals.

However, Melling noted that “Harry Potter is this huge, huge franchise” to separate himself from.

He explained that he never wanted to be tied down by it, and always dreamed of a diverse and successful career where he could explore many different opportunities.

Having finished the Harry Potter films, Melling understood the challenges many young actors experience. He didn’t see his role as a final goal, but rather as a starting point for building a career.

As someone who’s seen a lot of young talent, I often hear about this. This actor was telling me how, even as a kid, they felt like being typecast as a child star would actually limit their opportunities. They realized early on that it could prevent them from exploring other passions and experiences, which is a really insightful point. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the path that seems glamorous can actually box you in.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve noticed a fascinating trend with young actors who become incredibly famous early on. Take Daniel Radcliffe, for example. After spending over ten years defining the role of Harry Potter, he’s really embraced variety! He hasn’t stuck to one type of role; instead, he’s fearlessly taken on everything from incredibly quirky parts – like playing a corpse in Swiss Army Man and the iconic “Weird Al” Yankovic in a biopic – to even trying his hand at television comedy. It’s a smart move to show range and avoid being typecast, and I applaud him for it!

In a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, 36-year-old Daniel Radcliffe explained what he looked for in roles after finishing the Harry Potter series. He said he wanted to be known as an actor who consistently chooses compelling and unique projects, so that people would be intrigued whenever he took on a new part.

Melling and Radcliffe aren’t the only actors from the Harry Potter films who have moved on to other projects. Read on to find out what the rest of the cast is doing now…

Daniel Radcliffe will always be thankful for the role of Harry Potter, which launched his career. However, he’s also worked hard to move beyond his child-star image, beginning with his daring Broadway debut in the play Equus in 2007. He followed that with the more upbeat How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in 2011. Since then, he’s consistently moved between stage productions like The Cripple of Inishmaan, Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead, and his Tony-winning performance in Merrily We Roll Along, and film roles in movies like The Woman in Black, Victor Frankenstein, and Swiss Army Man.

Radcliffe often chooses projects with a darker edge, such as his portrayal of a morphine-addicted doctor in the TV series A Young Doctor’s Notebook and a low-level angel trying to save the world in Miracle Workers. He also played the villain alongside Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in the 2022 romantic comedy The Lost City, portrayed musician “Weird Al” Yankovic in the biographical parody Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and provided voice work for the animated series Mulligan.

Radcliffe has been with actress Erin Darke since they met on the set of 2013’s Kill Your Darlings, where he played poet Alan Ginsberg. They have a son together, born in April 2023.

Emma Watson, who grew up in both Paris and Oxfordshire, landed the role of Hermione Granger with little acting experience, marking her professional debut. After finishing the Harry Potter films, she balanced her studies at Brown University, where she earned a degree in English literature in 2014, with roles in independent movies like The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Bling Ring.

She later starred as Belle in the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast and as Meg March in the 2019 film Little Women, but then decided to take a break from acting. While initially daunting, she felt it was the right decision.

In a 2023 interview with British Vogue, Watson explained that stepping away allowed her to find her own voice and creative independence, something she hadn’t felt before. She valued the freedom of embracing uncertainty and discovering her own path.

Since then, she’s returned to school for a creative writing program at Oxford, launched her gin brand, Renais, with her brother Alex Watson, and directed several commercials. Throughout her career, Watson has also worked as a model for brands like Burberry and Lancôme, and dedicated herself to activism, particularly in the area of gender equality.

Rupert Grint seemed born to play Ron Weasley, Harry Potter’s best friend. After the series ended, he appeared in British shows like The ABC Murders, based on an Agatha Christie mystery, and the dark comedy Sick Note, where he played a man who pretends to have cancer. He also took roles in the film CBGB, about the famous New York punk club, the French comedy Moonwalkers, and projects by M. Night Shyamalan, including the series Servant and the movie Knock at the Cabin.

However, Grint admitted it took time to adjust to life after playing Ron for so many years. In a 2018 interview with Radio Times, he said he felt like he’d missed out on normal experiences and had lost touch with school friends. He took a break to regain a sense of normalcy, admitting he wasn’t overly ambitious and felt a need to prove himself while also being naturally insecure.

Outside of acting, Grint and his longtime partner, Georgia Groome, became parents to their daughter, Wednesday G. Grint, in May 2020, and welcomed a second daughter, Goldie G. Grint, in 2025.

Okay, seriously, can we talk about Neville Longbottom? I mean, Matthew Lewis completely blew up! It’s insane how much he’s changed – one minute he’s the sweet, clumsy kid from Harry Potter, and the next… well, the internet basically exploded when everyone realized how incredibly handsome he’s become. The news went everywhere! I’m not even kidding, it was a global phenomenon. I’ve been following his transformation for years, and honestly, it’s amazing.

English actor Lewis has built a career primarily in British stage and screen productions. He’s known for roles in the BBC miniseries The Syndicate, the emotional film Me Before You, and the thriller Terminal alongside Margot Robbie.

He particularly enjoyed playing a soldier in the BBC Three dramedy Bluestone 42, a show about a bomb disposal unit in Afghanistan, calling it a uniquely fulfilling experience. He told RadioTimes.com that while being part of Harry Potter was a privilege, he felt more involved with and proud of Bluestone 42 than any other project, and had more fun with it as an actor.

Other roles include appearances in Avoidance, All Creatures Great & Small, Baby Done, and Ripper Street.

Lewis is known for keeping his personal life private, but he married Angela Jones in 2018. The couple revisited the Wizarding World of Harry Potter—where they first met—in October 2019.

Tom Felton, who famously played the villain Draco Malfoy, is actually a kind and generous person. In 2011, he appeared in several films, including Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Belle, and A United Kingdom.

In 2016, Felton appeared on The CW’s The Flash, and also had roles in the sci-fi drama Origin and the films Ophelia, Braking for Whales, Burial, and Some Other Woman. He later revisited the world of Harry Potter, reprising his role as Draco Malfoy on Broadway in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in 2025. Beyond acting, Felton is also a singer-songwriter and has released several EPs throughout his career.

The actor dated Jade Olivia Gordon, who later played his character’s wife, Astoria Malfoy, in the Harry Potter films, for seven years before they broke up in 2016. He is now in a relationship with Roxanne Danya.

In his 2022 memoir, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard, Felton discussed his difficulties with early fame and his history with substance abuse, and he clarified the nature of his relationship with Emma Watson.

He admitted he’d always held a special affection for Emma, though not necessarily a romantic one. While there had been moments of connection between them, it wasn’t a consistent romantic spark. Despite this, they share a deep platonic love. ‘I wasn’t ever in love with Emma,’ he clarified, ‘but I loved and greatly admired her as a person in a way I could never fully articulate.’

Bonnie Wright began playing Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter films at just 10 years old, growing from a supporting character to a significant part of the story.

After graduating from the London College of Communication, she founded her own production company, BonBonLumière, in 2012. Alongside acting in films like After the Dark and Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg?, she’s also written and directed several short films. These include Separate We Come, Separate We Go featuring David Thewlis (known for playing Remus Lupin), Know Thyself with Christian Coulson (who portrayed Tom Riddle), and Medusa’s Ankles starring Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy).

While her last film role was in 2018’s A Christmas Carol, Wright has shifted her focus to other endeavors. In 2021, she published Go Gently, a book offering guidance on how to get involved in climate activism.

In 2019, Bonnie Wright reunited with several of her former Harry Potter co-stars, including Evanna Lynch, and someone happily captured the moment in a photo. Wright shared the picture with the caption “Time turning,” adding a lightning bolt emoji.

Wright was previously engaged to Jamie Campbell Bower, who played a young Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Death Hallows – Part 1, but they ended their engagement in 2012. She then dated Simon Hammerstein for several years before finding love with Andrew Lococo in 2020. They married in March 2022 and welcomed their son, Elio, in September 2023.

Fred and George Weasley were famously played by identical twins, Oliver and James Phelps – though Oliver is actually thirteen minutes older! The brothers continued to play twins in other projects, like Our Own Worst Enemy and Last Night in Soho. James has also appeared in films on his own, including Patchwork and Cadia: The World Within. Beyond acting, they hosted a podcast called Normal Not Normal and the cooking show Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking. Oliver married Katie Humpage in 2015 and they have two daughters. James married Annika Ostle the following year.

The British actor began his career playing Dean Thomas, a student at Hogwarts, and then built a strong resume with stage work in England and appearances in popular TV shows like Broadchurch and Sherlock. He became well-known for his four-season role on How to Get Away With Murder, where he played Wes, a law student with good intentions who faced a tragic fate. He even made a surprise appearance in the final season—spoiler alert—as Wes’s son. More recently, he’s been in Foundation, The Couple Next Door, and Miss Austen. He’s also an Oxford graduate, having attended The Queen’s College.

When Chris Columbus was casting for the role of the young Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, he was hoping to find someone between 15 and 17 years old. However, Christian Coulson, who was 23 at the time, ultimately won the part. He continued to act, appearing in shows and films like Nashville as Damien George, as Sebastian in the Golden Globe-winning series Mozart in the Jungle, as Benjamin in High Fidelity, and as Peter in Blood Brothers: Civil War.

Katie Leung won the role of Cho Chang in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire after competing with around 3,000 other actors. However, she later shared that she faced a wave of online hate following the casting announcement. In a 2021 podcast interview, Leung described finding a website dedicated to negative comments about her, and even a site that counted how many people disagreed with her being cast.

After her time in Harry Potter, Leung continued acting in theater, television, and voice work. She appeared in productions like White Dragon, Chimerica, and The Nest, and voiced the character Caitlyn in the animated series Arcane. Other roles include appearances in Nightsleeper, Annika, Chemistry of Death, The Peripheral, and The Foreigner. Most recently, she joined the cast of Bridgerton for its fourth season.

In December 2022, Leung announced on Instagram that she had welcomed her first child, a son named Wolf.

Whatever happened to the actor who played the character Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire?

Robert Pattinson also became a teen idol by starring as the mysterious vampire Edward Cullen in all five Twilight Saga movies. He even dated his co-star, Kristen Stewart, during filming.

He’s earned praise for his intense performances in independent films like Maps to the Stars, Cosmopolis, The Rover, Good Time, and The Lighthouse. However, he also returned to large-scale action movies in 2022, taking on the role of Batman in The Batman.

Robert Pattinson was previously engaged to FKA twigs. Since 2018, he has been dating model and actress Suki Waterhouse, and they got engaged in December 2023. They recently welcomed their first child in March 2024.

Fleur Delacour, the beautiful student from the French wizarding school Beauxbatons who competed in the Triwizard Tournament, later married Ron Weasley’s older brother, Bill.

Since then, the actress who played Fleur, Poésy, has consistently worked in film and television, appearing in shows like Gossip Girl and The Tunnel, as well as films such as the dark comedy In Bruges and the biographical series Genius: Picasso.

She’s also starred in Tenant (with her former Triwizard Tournament competitor, Robert Pattinson), The Essex Serpent, and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.

After becoming a mother in 2017, Poésy spoke about how much the experience had changed her life.

She recently told The Guardian that experiencing pregnancy and motherhood has given her a deeper connection to women throughout history. She explained that thinking about the physical and emotional aspects of becoming a mother has significantly increased her respect and admiration for women.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve always admired Evanna Lynch’s work, especially her portrayal of Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter films starting with Order of the Phoenix. It’s surprising to hear, though, that despite being part of such a beloved franchise, she actually faced challenges finding acting roles afterward. It just goes to show that even success in a major series doesn’t always guarantee an easy path in this industry!

In a 2019 interview with Bustle, Lynch explained that it felt strange receiving so much fan mail and attention when it didn’t translate to her everyday life. She admitted it was difficult adjusting, and she missed the automatic praise she’d gotten from being part of a large film franchise. Despite this, she has continued to act in short films like Bus Girl and animated series such as My Freaky Family.

Evanna Lynch has been vegan since 2015 and is passionate about cruelty-free living. In 2018, she launched Kinder Beauty Box, a line of clean beauty products, and began co-hosting the podcast Just Beings with Dr. Melanie Joy. That same year, she was a contestant on Dancing With the Stars, finishing in third place, and in 2021, she published her first book, The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting.

Evanna Lynch shared with Bustle that she’s stayed particularly close to Katie Leung and Scarlett Byrne (who played Pansy Parkington) and often sees her former Harry Potter colleagues at fan conventions. She explained that many of them have become closer as they’ve gotten older. “We’re adults now, so the age differences that felt significant when we were younger don’t matter as much,” she said. For example, she recently spent time with James and Oliver Phelps, noting that when they filmed the movies, their age gap of just a few years felt much larger when they were teenagers.

Josh Herdman, known for playing Draco Malfoy’s sidekick Goyle in the Harry Potter films, has continued acting since his time at Hogwarts. He’s appeared in several TV shows and movies, including the British crime drama Marcella with Anna Friel, the 2018 Robin Hood film, the crime miniseries Murder at White House Farm, and the spy drama Alex Rider. More recently, he’s had roles in the Disney+ series Andor and the movie No Way Home.

Beyond acting, Herdman has also pursued a career in mixed martial arts, starting in 2016.

In 2023, he announced his marriage to Jessica Herdman, and together they have two children.

Like many of the actors who played Harry Potter bullies, Harry Melling is a genuinely kind person. During the series, he got in such good shape that the producers almost replaced him before filming Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Instead, he continued playing Harry’s spoiled cousin Dudley Dursley with the help of prosthetics.

Since then, Melling has consistently worked in both theatre and film, appearing in projects like The Lost City of Z, the Coen brothers’ The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, and the HBO series His Dark Materials.

He also collaborated with Joel Coen again for his version of The Tragedy of Macbeth, starring alongside Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. More recently, Melling played Harry Beltik in the popular Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit and appeared with Charlize Theron in the action film The Old Guard. Other notable roles include appearances in Wolf Hall, Harvest, Shoshana, The Pale Blue Eye, and Pillion.

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2025-12-31 18:19