Rupert Grint was offered so many sidekick roles after Harry Potter that he almost gave up acting to sell ice cream

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Rupert Grint has revealed that he nearly gave up on acting after the Harry Potter movies wrapped. His alternative career path? Selling ice cream. 

"I definitely did think, 'Is it too late to pick something else?'" Grint said in a recent interview with The New York Times. The actor reportedly bought a pink and white ice cream van, which he drove back to his family home on the last day of shooting Harry Potter and thought he could "make a go of". 

After a year out of acting, however, he gave acting another go, but was offered a lot of sidekick roles after playing Harry Potter's best friend Ron Weasley for 10 years. He held off for more serious roles and ended up taking on theater roles and starring in TV shows like comedy drama Snatch and mystery thriller The ABC Murders.

While Grint may want to stay away from the Wizarding World, it isn't staying away from us – our next chance to return is with the prequel Fantastic Beasts 3: The Secrets of Dumbledore, starring Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, and Mads Mikkelsen, which hits cinemas on April 8. 

Grint, meanwhile, can currently be seen in Servant season 3, the Apple TV Plus series from showrunner M. Night Shyalaman. He's also set to star in the Netflix anthology series Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. 

That series doesn't have a release date yet, but in the meantime you can check out our list of the best Netflix shows available to stream right now.

Entertainment Writer

I’m an Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. 

Read more
Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter star Jason Isaacs says the films weren't "much fun to make" because "it's quite boring making big special effects films"
John Lithgow
The Harry Potter TV show's Dumbledore star John Lithgow says it "was not an easy decision" to sign on to the HBO reboot
Harry Potter
Harry Potter director thinks Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy would be a perfect Voldemort in new TV show
Friends star David Schwimmer finds it "really moving" how the show is still helping fans 30 years on: "I just feel really grateful"
David Fincher
David Fincher was once in talks to direct Harry Potter, but his "creepy" version didn't align with Warner Bros.' vision
Agent Stone (Lee Majdoub) and Robotnik (Jim Carrey) in Sonic 3
Jim Carrey used to shun sequels to "move on and do something new" but changed his mind when playing Robotnik in the Sonic movies: "I'd like to have a character that I could sit with for a bit"
Latest in Movies
Gemma Chan in Eternals
Eternals star Gemma Chan is hopeful she'll return to the MCU someday: "There's unfinished business there"
Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Netflix wants Daniel Craig to join the cast of Greta Gerwig's Narnia movie – but it's not certain if he'll take it
Lilo and Stitch
New trailer for Disney’s live action Lilo and Stitch movie pulls a Sonic redesign, finally giving us the Stitch we have been waiting for
All You Need is Kill anime
Graphic novel that inspired one of Tom Cruise's highest-rated actioners is being turned into an anime movie
Watto in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars confirms Watto isn’t dead after all in new comic, and fans are celebrating his miraculous survival
Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked
Wicked: For Good release date, cast, story, and everything else you need to know about Wicked Part 2
Latest in News
Gemma Chan in Eternals
Eternals star Gemma Chan is hopeful she'll return to the MCU someday: "There's unfinished business there"
two aliens firing miniguns
4 years after shutting down, this dead sci-fi MMO is being brought back to life, but there's no word on its canceled TV show tie-in
Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Netflix wants Daniel Craig to join the cast of Greta Gerwig's Narnia movie – but it's not certain if he'll take it
The Last of Us
The Last of Us season 2 trailer breaks HBO viewing records, becoming the network's most-watched trailer
Nicole Kidman in The Perfect Couple
Nicole Kidman’s hit Netflix show could be returning for another season, but she won’t be coming back
Matt LeBlanc as Joey in Friends
21 years later, the Friends spin-off nobody asked for is streaming for free