The Harry Potter films were box office hits and became beloved by audiences around the globe, but they weren't produced without controversy. Recently, Rupert Grint revealed that there was a point during the filming of the movies when he considered quitting altogether.

After wrapping up the fourth Harry Potter film, Grint says he was incredibly close to leaving the franchise. While he admitted that there were several instances before that when he also considered quitting, it was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that really pushed him to the edge.

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Speaking to The Guardian, Grint said that the more successful the films became, the more difficult it was for him to keep up with the responsibilities of representing a major franchise. He began to feel an overwhelming weight on his shoulders because the films were so phenomenally popular, and he particularly had trouble with "the whole press and red carpet thing." Grint admitted that signing onto the franchise as Ron Weasley was a massive sacrifice. During one extended break from filming, he recalls having a long, internal debate with himself about whether life in the spotlight was for him or not, and he even contemplated not returning to the set at all.

Harry Potter

Grint wasn't the only Harry Potter cast member who came out with controversial comments after the series ended. Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), and Katie Leung (Cho Chang) also came out with their own eyebrow-raising stories regarding their experiences during filming. Their testimonies just go to show that tensions and internal conflicts can occur in any franchise, even one as popular as Harry Potter, no matter how unproblematic it may have seemed on the outside.

After being a part of the massively successful Harry Potter series for a full decade, one would think that the cast of the films would have nothing but pleasant things to say about their experiences during that era. However, that doesn't seem to be the case at all now that several actors surprised fans with these rather shocking revelations that indicated things were not always sunshine and rainbows behind the scenes.

While Grint now attributes those past shaky thoughts to being young and a teenager, it's clear that he was genuinely conflicted and had strong feelings about how the franchise was affecting his personal life. Thankfully for fans, he decided to stick it out until the very end, playing Ron Weasley for all eight Harry Potter movies.

The Harry Potter series is now streaming on HBO Max.

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Source: The Guardian