Brace yourselves, Harry Potter fans: in totally tragic news, Rupert Grint has revealed that, after starring in all eight movies, he can no longer enjoy Harry Potter as a fan.
In an interview with British magazine Radio Times, Grint, a.k.a. Ron Weasley, says being in the films basically ruined his ability to watch them.
“I think being in things ruins them for me,” he told the magazine. “I can’t enjoy Harry Potter any more, not as a fan — it’s just not the same!”
We know, it’s heartbreaking — but to be fair, his reasoning is pretty understandable. I mean, who doesn’t cringe watching themselves on camera or listening to their own voice? Now imagine doing that for the 19 hours and 38 minutes of collective runtime of all eight movies and, well, we have to say we get it. Plus, it sounds like he’s (thankfully) not holding some kind of particular grudge against our favorite childhood movie series.
Luckily, it’s not the fan attention as a result of the Harry Potter films that bothers him. (Phew.) “It’s definitely manageable,” he says of fans approaching him in public. “I end up having to take a selfie [for a fan] most days, but I’ve never really minded if it makes people happy — though I hate it when people take pictures without asking. It was really exciting when I was about 11 or 12, but it got harder in my teenage years. Sometimes you just want to be invisible.”
And in case you still have any doubts, Grint has previously said that, despite his apparent refusal to actually watch his portrayal of his Harry Potter character, he’ll always have a special bond with Ron Weasley (TBH, so will we).
“I had a weird relationship with that character because after that we kind of merged into the same person,” he told Vulture earlier this year. “I find it very hard to separate where I end and Ron begins.”