“It’s a very kind of Ron thing to do”: Rupert Grint’s Chad Move When Asked to Submit Assignment for $795 Million Harry Potter Film
- Alfonso Cuarón asked the three leads to write an essay about their respective characters to understand it.
- Rupert Grint said him not turning the assignment was a very 'Ron Weasley' thing to do.
- Alfonso Cuarón said he had a great time filming Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
English actor Rupert Grint, popularly known for playing Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter film series, is one of the influential actors in the industry. The actor found a significant amount of success and popularity while portraying Ron Weasley on-screen from the age of eleven and then ventured into working on television, theater, and movies.
The actor appeared in M. Night Shyamalan’s apocalyptic psychological horror movie Knock at the Cabin, in which he played Redmond. Paul G. Tremblay bases the movie on the 2018 novel The Cabin at the End of the World. Upon release, the movie received a positive response from the critics as well as the audience. Rupert Grint, during the promotions of Knock at the Cabin, had spilled details from the Harry Potter film set.
Harry Potter actor Rupert Grint reveals how he got out of an assignment
Rupert Grint appeared for an interview with British GQ, where he answered some of the questions asked on the internet, and of course, Harry Potter was included. During the interview, Grint came across a film fact, which stated that director Alfonso Cuarón, who directed Prisoner of Azkaban, to be acquainted with the actors of the movie, asked the three of them to write about their characters.
The fact further stated that Emma Watson had turned in a 16-page essay describing her character Hermione Granger, whereas Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the titular role, turned in a 1-page essay. But Rupert Grint never turned in his essay about Ron Weasley. Answering the question, Grint shared,
That is true. And I have to say, I was doing, like, my GSEs; I was doing some, like, important exams at the same time. And also it’s a very Ron thing to do, so I didn’t do it.
The actor further mentioned that it was a big change when Alfonso Cuarón joined the franchise, adding that they felt like they needed to take things very seriously. Grint noted that his coming in changed a lot of things, including the design of their wands, and he recalled that everything had become dark and felt more natural.
Rupert Grint shared that Alfonso Cuarón wanted to dig deep into the characters, and he gave them the assignment as homework, which he never did. Alfonso Cuarón was the first new director who stepped in after Chris Columbus directed the first two movies.
Speaking to Total Film, the producer David Heyman shared that Alfonso Cuarón treated the three main leads as young adults and was interested to know how they felt. Heyman noted that the franchise, along with the character, needed to grow with the books, and Alfonso Cuarón seemed like an apt choice to take that vision forward.
Alfonso Cuarón believed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was a risky choice
The filmmaker had shared with Total Film that he was so confused when he was offered to direct the third installment of the Harry Potter movie. Alfonso Cuarón mentioned that directing a Harry Potter movie was never on his radar, but he’s glad he said yes. Describing working on the movie, he said,
The first two Potters deal with children’s experience. Characters who are 11 and 12. Innocence. A purity even in the way they see the danger. We were dealing with the first sting of questioning everything, particularly who you are. Suddenly you are not part of the whole; there is a teenage separation.
Alfonso Cuarón mentioned that three lead actors were slowly becoming aware of the craft of acting and wanted to go to the next stage. He shared that from the get-go they all were on the same page with grounding the characters and making them experience normal human experience in the Harry Potter world.
The filmmaker shared with the publication that they were ready to explore the internal life of these characters that grew to be one of the favorite characters in the fictional world. There was attention paid to the details of the characters to reflect their personality, including their uniforms.
The director noted that he could not do anything unless he had the freedom to do what he wanted to do, and with the third installment, he wanted to stretch things. He lastly added that he was very grateful to have worked on the movie, adding that he had a beautiful time. The movie went onto gross over $795 million at the box office.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is available to stream on Prime Video.
