Actors who can't escape their iconic roles
Rupert Grint says playing Ron Weasley in 'Harry Potter' for a decade "was quite suffocating": "By the end of it, I was playing myself"
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CELEBRITY Characters
Saying yes to an iconic role early in your career seems like it would be a dream come true, but for many actors their deal of a lifetime turns into the reel of their lifetime, with their whole career overshadowed by one character.
Some actors have even had difficulty securing work after delivering a fantastic performance in these beloved roles. It seems backward, but if you can't disappear into a new character, you won't get too far in Hollywood.
Rupert Grint is trying to forge a new path after he took some time away following the decade he played the clumsy but lovable Ron Weasley in the 'Harry Potter' franchise. In an interview with Bustle published January 30, the actor said his experience of being stuck in one character from age 11 to 22 “was quite suffocating.” He explained that the character of Ron started to become indistinguishable from himself: “In the movies, we merged into one. By the end of it, I was playing myself. The lines were blurred.”
“Potter was so full on—[filming] all year, then we’d promote the rest of the time,” he continued. Though he is, of course, grateful for the opportunity, he said that he “wanted a break to reflect on everything. … It was an out-of-body experience for a while, but I think we finished at the right time. If we continued, it could’ve gone downhill.” Grint even added that he felt the reunion was too soon, though it "was a good opportunity to reflect on everything." Recently he's turning to darker projects, including Guillermo del Toro’s 'Cabinet of Curiosities,' 'Servant,' and M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film, 'Knock at the Cabin.' Grint said “there’s something therapeutic about these roles,” and added that he's "drawn to a hidden vulnerability. A bit broken, damaged people. At the moment, it seems to be what I’m doing.”
Click through to see other actors who have been defined, often too early for their liking, by one iconic role.
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