Rupert Grint is fully aware that he’s hasn’t exactly been supplying his 5.5 million Instagram followers with gold.
Having joined the platform in late 2020 with a photo of his newborn daughter, he broke the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to reach one million followers, doing so in just four hours (and a minute, if we’re being precise). But since then, barring the odd family update (his second daughter was born in 2025) and occasional tribute to a deceased Harry Potter co-star, his grid has been almost charmingly lackluster.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time, I thought I’d be good at it,” the actor confesses. “But I’m quite private. I’m not creating very interesting content, I know that. So I just don’t think it’s a very good fit with me — don’t expect much activity there!”
It’s a rather humble admission from one the lead and instantly recognizable stars of among the most famous film franchises of all time. But it’s also a reflection of both Grint’s personality and how he has traversed his post-Potter career since Hogwarts shut its doors. “It doesn’t even feel that long ago,” he says as he figures out the exact length of time since wrapping the final film. “Its… nearly 16 years… it’s insane.”
Emma Watson may have gone straight into major movies, activism and — more recently — a sustainable gin company, while Daniel Radcliffe has charted a successful — and wonderfully eclectic — path on screen and stage. But the third member of the core Potter trio has had a much quieter time spent mostly out of the limelight, and deliberately so.
“The Potter years were an absolute constant,” Grint says of making the eight Potter movies, which were in production for almost an entire decade from 2000 through 2010. It was an “intense long period” of work that made him “appreciate not being on set” and “really value downtime.” He has had a smattering of film, TV and theater projects since, but even the sporadic nature of these dwindled once parenthood beckoned. “I love working, but I also just love being at home, hanging out and being a dad,” he says. “I’m not ridiculously ambitious.” Reluctant celebrity? “Oh, absolutely.”
This period of low-profile calm isn’t exactly about to come loudly crashing down, but Grint is now heading to the Berlin Film Festival with chilling Finnish horror “Nightborn” (something he says he should probably post about on Instagram). Ironically, the feature sees him play a father raising his newborn with his wife (Seida Haarla), this time not in North London but an isolated house deep in the forest (actually shot in Lithuania). It’s clear from the off there’s something not quite right about the baby, but it’s something only the mum can see. Graphic in parts, “Nightborn” may prove difficult to watch for some (the bloody breastfeeding scenes alone should make anyone wince).
“When I first read the script, we’d actually just found out that we were having a second baby,” he says. “So it was very weird timing. But it’s kind of life imitating art.”
“Nightborn”
While “Nightborn” is steeped in Scandinavian mythology (something Grint also says drew him to it), there are also some real-life themes at play, notably the emotional impact childbirth can have on parents, especially mothers.
“It can be such an isolating and scary time,” says Grint (who notes his first daughter was born during COVID). “There’s this palpable fear you have at the time where everything’s scary.”
Grint plays the jolly upbeat dad with aplomb, but admits it was something that came naturally. “That was just kind of me, really,” he says. “I’m an optimist. Whatever’s going on I try to make it light. Not panicking and staying calm is definitely something I do.”
“Nightborn” marks Grint’s first film since 2013’s M. Night Shyamalan apocalyptic psychological horror “Knock at the Cabin” which was his first in almost a decade. Meanwhile, on TV, he had a main role in Apple TV’s “Servant,” the supernatural horror series also from Shyamalan (and, like “Nightborn,” involving a baby).
Grint admits that this recent shift towards genre may well a subconscious a push-back against his most high-profile role. “It does go against the warmth of Ron,” he says. Next up, he’s just started shooting “Ebeneezer: A Christmas Carol,” playing Bob Cratchit to Johnny Depp’s Ebeneezer Scrooge and in a festive tale that will no doubt see its genre elements ramped up thanks to director Ti West.
While Grint may now be easing into a more regular work rhythm, it’s one at an exceptional casual pace, or — as he puts it — “one thing every year.” But he’s only choosing projects he think will be fun or interesting. It’s a very luxurious position to be in, one he freely acknowledges is down to the financial security already afforded to him by “Harry Potter.”
“I’m very aware of that privilege,” he says. “It was hard work, but those movies have allowed us to pick and choose, which is just such a gift. Obviously it doesn’t mean you’re always going to choose the right thing. But I do feel very lucky for that.”
Grint’s latest film lands just as a group of young actors are following in his footsteps and may well find themselves with a similar level of privilege in a decade or so.
Shooting on the first season of HBO’s high-profile “Harry Potter” TV series is now underway, with three kids plucked from obscurity to play Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, just as Radcliffe, Watson and Grint were more than a quarter-century ago. Grint wrote a letter to Alistair Stout, the youngster stepping into Ron’s scuffed school shoes.
“When they were announced, it really took me straight back to ’99,” he says. “Because it was such an exciting time. I do wish them all the best — it’s such a fun journey. But it’s quite strange and surreal. But it really didn’t feel that long ago that we wrapped.”
As for advice to the kids, Grint acknowledges that he “didn’t have social media” to deal with, so it’ll likely be a very different experience.
“It’s a long time, and there are definitely periods where you want to get out it,” he admits. “It’s a sacrifice, especially when you’re young. But I have no regrets. It was a great time and I think they’ll have lots of good people around looking after them.”
