Rupert Grint on fulfilling a childhood ambition and his brother’s rally driving career.

You couldn’t make it up: in real life Rupert Grint’s favourite motor is an ice-cream van – and his brother James is a hugely talented rally star. They explain how it all came to this…

Hearing that their son wants to enter the highly precarious world of professional acting is every parent’s secret nightmare. When their other son then announces his ambition to become a professional rally driver, most parents would throw up their hands in utter despair. Luckily for the Grints, their sons’ far-fetched dreams turned out perfectly.

Rupert’s role as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies means he is now worth £24 million; James, meanwhile, is now one of Britain’s fastest-rising rally drivers as part of the British Racing Grint team owned by his father, with his sights set on competing in the world championship in 2013.

Despite his colossal wealth, Rupert, 23, has refused to yield to the obvious temptation of luxuries such as high-end supercars.

For this Live shoot, his choice of vehicle is a 1974 Mr Whippy Bedford van – one of his first purchases when the Potter cash began rolling in (although it’s not his only car).

James, 21, opts for the £70,000 customised Mitsubishi Evo 9 he’s driving in this year’s British championship.

RUPERT ‘I was the first of the Potter actors to learn to drive. I passed my test at the second time of trying. On the set, there’d always be a lot of talk about cars among the cast, although Daniel Radcliffe never joined in. He’s never been into cars at all.

‘My first ambition was to become an ice-cream man, which is why I bought the Bedford van. Not long after I first got it, I pulled into a pub to do a U-turn and there were eight kids with their pocket money out, hoping to buy a 99 or whatever. But I had nothing to give them. I’ve learnt my lesson since then.

‘I keep my van well stocked. It’s got a proper machine that dispenses Mr Whippy ice cream and I buy my lollies wholesale – 50 for a tenner – so I never run short. I’m not allowed to sell my merchandise. I’d need a licence for that.

‘I tend to avoid July and August, but the rest of the year I’ll drive around the local villages and if I see some kids looking like they’re in need of ice creams, I’ll pull over and dish them out for free. They’ll say, “Ain’t you Ron Weasley?” And I’ll say, “It’s strange, I get asked that a lot.”

‘The van often comes in useful. I drove it up to the set on the last day of filming on Harry Potter. The cast and crew were having a barbecue and I supplied the lollies and ice creams.
‘James and I grew up with a love for cars and a love for racing. We started with scooters, then moved on to go-karts and quad bikes. James will claim that he always won. I remember it differently.

‘He has a daredevil instinct that I lack. He will try pretty much anything, regardless of the physical risk. He would always be coming up with crazy stunts. One time, he built these long ramps and decided to jump over my grandad on a mountain bike. Thankfully, he made a clean jump. If he’d landed on Grandad, it wouldn’t have been a pretty sight.’

JAMES ‘I was nine when Rupert got the part in Harry Potter. We all thought he was going to a normal audition. As a family we had no idea of the scale of it. It was only when we attended the first London premiere that it dawned on us how big a deal this was.

‘I’ve never looked at Rupert’s success and thought, “That could have been me.” I could never have been an actor. By the time Rupert’s career was taking off, I’d already made up my mind that I wanted to be a racing driver. If anything, Rupert’s success spurred me on to excel in my own field.

‘People would always be asking me what it was like to have a famous brother. I didn’t think of him as famous. And he never got too big for his boots. I’d have been the first to tell him if he did. At first everyone knew me as Rupert Grint’s brother. Then I had to carve out an identity for myself, which I did by being good at sports.
‘What I love about rallying is that it’s all- encompassing. You need to be a master of every surface – Tarmac, gravel, snow and ice. Rallying is regarded as the poor cousin to Formula 1 but I think there’s every chance that could change in the coming years. I’d like to be at the forefront of that.’

RUPERT ‘I did go through an anxious period after Harry Potter ended. Of course I always knew it would come to an end. But it took some getting used to.

‘Now I’m starting to enjoy the freedom. I can afford to choose my acting roles carefully and I’m able to enjoy my leisure time. I’m perfectly happy tootling around town in my ice-cream van, haring up the motorway in my Audi, or messing around on my hovercraft in the back garden.

‘As much as anything, I like the fact that I can attend my brother’s rally meetings. Now that we’re all grown up and no longer racing against each other, few things give me greater pleasure than seeing him win.’

Rupert Grint’s new film, ‘Into The White’, is out later this year

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If you’ve slumped into a deep, Harry Potter-shaped depression now that the films are finally over, then at least Rupert Grint has given us a little glimmer of hope to cling on to, as he’s announced that just because his 10-year stint as ginger hottie Ron Weasley is over, he still has no plans to give up acting. Phew.

“I don’t think I’ll ever retire,” he announced. “I still have ambitions. I love being on set, and I want to do more movies. I’m very lucky to have that cushion, but I’d like to keep going. I like testing my capabilities.”
Rupe also opened up about money and, despite being worth more than £19million, says he isn’t planning on sticking with acting just because of the mega-bucks.

“I have quite a strange relationship with money, really,” he said. “At age 11, money isn’t really a big thing at all. I never thought about being rich. Then suddenly you have all this money, and it doesn’t seem like it’s real. I’ve never seen it. I don’t know where it is. It’s weird, kind of like a fantasy.”

But this is the man, after all, who has splashed out on an ice cream van, a quad bike, a go-kart, a hovercraft, an orange Land Rover, a selection of arcade games, and a Hummer-style golf cart.

Talking about the end of Harry Potter, Rupert admitted that although he was sad that it was all over, he was looking forward to moving on and trying something new.

So, what do you think he should do next?

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In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Rupert Grint finally gets the girl. That girl is Hermione (Emma Watson) and for fans of the iconic literary series, that moment could not come soon enough. The only problem is that the ultimate moment for Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger comes in what will serve as the last audiences will ever see of the world of Harry Potter.

Rupert Grint was rather candid about the closing chapter that is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 when we caught up with him. Grint is engrossed on what the rest of the world is currently feeling as Deathly Hallows premieres and a part of our pop cultural collective lives… and ends.
For the kid who bought an ice cream truck with his Harry Potter earnings, it was fitting that he drove it on the set for the final day of filming, stocked with frozen treats. Rupert Grint’s portrayal of Ron is nothing less than perfect. He provides a power that is both sweet innocence coupled with an unwavering belief in his roommate, best friend and Dumbledore Army leader Harry Potter.

Rupert Grint kisses and tells

SheKnows: Was the kissing Hermione (Emma Watson) scene as epic as it is for fans?

Rupert Grint: It was a tricky one to do. Obviously I’ve known Emma so long, she’s like my sister. We were mutually both dreading the scene. We just wanted to make it believable. With the romance of it, because it’s been built up for so many years, we wanted people to think that we actually wanted to kiss each other. In reality we didn’t!

SheKnows: Did they make you do it over and over? Or was it just a couple of takes?

Rupert Grint: We did about four takes. I find it hard to recall anything about that day. It’s been erased from my mind!

SheKnows: What was your favorite scene in the entire series?

Rupert Grint: There are so many really, I find it hard to pick out one, but I think the chess scene in the first one was quite good. It was a huge set and things were being blown up. It was just the coolest place to be.

Ron is Rupert?

SheKnows: Having grown up portraying Ron, how like him are you?

Rupert Grint: After 10 years playing the same guy every day, I think you do naturally morph into him. We have become Ronpert which I think will stay with me for a while. I have always felt this close connection to Ron throughout all the films. There will always be a bit of Ron in me for the rest of my life.

SheKnows: How did personal time with J.K. Rowling aid your effort to capture Ron Weasley over eight films?

Rupert Grint: Whenever J.K. Rowling came to the set and we would chat, we rarely ever spoke about the story, we just kind of chatted generally. She filled us in with the epilogue, where the characters go and what they do for a living, she had written kind of the rest of their lives really, so that was quite interesting to hear what we all became. I worked in the ministry doing something and I forgot what Emma’s character was doing.

SheKnows: How did you deal with the immense spotlight these films have brought you?

Rupert Grint: The attention is quite strange and never being invisible completely. It took me a while to adjust to it, because I was always quite a shy kid. It’s something you actually take for granted. I remember the first time I was recognized was at a shopping center where I live which was near a school and the first film had just come out. It was really weird but I enjoyed it. It was quite cool actually, as it’s something I’ve never really hid from. It’s just become a part of my life now.

SheKnows: What prompted you to buy an ice cream truck?

Rupert Grint: The ice cream truck was something I’ve always wanted. That’s what I wanted to be was to be an ice cream man. So as soon as I passed my driving test, I got an ice cream van.

SheKnows: Are you a role model for redheads?

Rupert Grint: I’ve always been quite a proud ginger. Having ginger hair is not the coolest thing really. It’s nice that Ron is quite a respected ginger and Prince Harry as well. Yeah, I get a lot of support from the ginger community.

Grint on aging

SheKnows: How does filming Deathly Hallows Part 2 compare to the other seven films?

Rupert Grint: This was the most depressing one actually I have ever done. It was deathly. I think it helps you get into the mood when you’re on the set and hearing Maggie Smith sobbing, it brought the mood down.

SheKnows: How did you like seeing yourself as an older man?

Rupert Grint: The first attempt for my character in particular was quite terrifying. I looked like a monster really — a bit like a Donald Trump — I had no hair and I was obese [laughs]. I think it was a bit too much. Then they found the balance finally. It was a very strange thing to film really, just sitting in the makeup chair and watching them gradually age me. It was quite terrifying.

SheKnows: With the second version that you shot, do you feel like you’ve seen yourself 20 years from now?

Rupert Grint: It would be interesting to compare it in 19 years to see how accurate it is. I hope not [laughs]!

SheKnows: How do you feel about the ending of the Harry Potter movies?

Rupert Grint: It’s been a very weird time really of accepting the end. We finished filming a year ago and I now have this quite empty feeling. It’s taken me quite a while to accept. We had the London premiere two days ago and I got really emotional! I’m not usually that emotional. This experience has really been my childhood. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

SheKnows: Did one particular scene while filming the final film get you?

Rupert Grint: Where it’s the three of us after the battle and we are walking on the bridge and the castle is destroyed behind us — it felt kind of parallel with our own lives really. It has been quite emotional and seeing the film as well, I did get quite choked up at the end. It’s quite sad because I’m going to really miss it.

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Previously, the reluctant conversationalist would endure interviews, but the 22-year-old seems genuinely at ease as he enters a fancy Manhattan hotel suite.

He flashes his sheepish grin while looking positively pleased with life as he knows it, even though the end is near.

Opening worldwide on Friday, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 completes the record-setting run of eight movies based on the seven bestselling J. K. Rowling fantasy novels.

In the final David Yates-directed chapter, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Grint) continue their quest to destroy the magical Horcrux objects, which will stop the evil Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) from becoming immortal.

When the trio’s mission leads them back to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, a showdown looms between Harry and Voldemort.

But Part 2 isn’t all about battles and special effects; the film also features the long-awaited smooch between Hermione (Watson) and Ron (Grint), as their relationship heats up.

Grint seems just as bewildered by the interest in the kiss and the romance between Ron and Hermione as his character is.

“It was a tricky one to do,” he said of the lip-lock with Watson, who had become like a sister to Grint. “We were both mutually dreading the scene.”
Four takes later, they nailed it, and Grint hopes the kiss will be believable to Potter fans.

“It’s been built up for so many years,” said the actor. “But I’m trying to erase it from my mind.”

He would rather recall the Gringotts Wizarding Bank heist, in which Harry, Ron and Hermione get trapped inside the Lestrange vault. “We’re drowning in all this gold,” he said. “It’s a great scene to be a part of.”

Then there was the emotion associated with the harrowing moments of loss during the Battle of Hogwarts and the parallel feelings of sadness about the franchise concluding.

It made acting sullen easier.

“The Hogwarts Great Hall looked like the hospital wing in a Second World War movie,” said Grint of the confrontation’s aftermath. “And hearing Maggie Smith (as Professor Minerva McGonagall) sobbing brought everything down.”

On another front, he’s more relieved than pleased with the fact that director Yates did re-shoots of the epilogue depicting Harry, Ron and Hermione as parents 19 years later. Originally, Yates decided to age the actors with heavy makeup and hair pieces, but the adornments turned out to be too much, especially Ron’s.

“In the first attempt, my character was particularly terrifying,” he recalled. “The image still haunts me. I looked like a monster, really, a sort of Donald Trump mixture.”

Eventually, Yates and crew “really did find the right balance” of makeup and computer effects to age all three seamlessly.

Meanwhile, Grint said he’s become more Ron-like over the past 10 years.

“I’ve always felt this close connection to Ron,” said Grint, who won a Ron look-alike contest before auditioning for the film part.

“And after a decade of playing the same person, you do naturally morph into this guy. A bit of Ron will be in me for the rest of my life.”

A bit of red-headed activism will be a part of his life, too

“I get a lot of people from the ginger community shaking my hand,” he said. “In England, not so much in America, it’s not the coolest thing (being red-headed), really, and they get hassled.

“It’s nice I can get some respect for the gingers,” he said, adding with a smile, “and Prince Harry is really cool, too.”

Radcliffe might be the intense one, and Watson, the self-assured over-achiever, but Grint is the most casually glib of the three headliners.

Certainly, he has enjoyed his Potter rewards more conspicuously. He owns two country mansions in Hertfordshire, England, including an 18th-century quasi-castle with six bedrooms, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and two cottages in 22-acre grounds.

He also has a fancy farmhouse with a lake, lots of farm animals and a staff to take care of the hobbyist spread.

Besides Grint’s much-discussed Mr. Whippy ice-cream truck, he’s often photographed driving a beat-up pickup truck. He also owns a Range Rover, a VW camper van, and – because he wanted one – a hovercraft.

The ice-cream truck seems to get the most press, however. “It’s something I’ve always wanted, a childhood dream. As soon as I passed my driver’s test, I got one.”

He’ll have a lot more time to entertain friends and family with the vehicle, as he considers the next steps after his obligations to promote Part 2 soon come to an end.

“We finished filming a year ago, and I was left with an empty feeling,” Grint said. “It’s been weird accepting that it’s done. It’s going to take a while to let go, but I am slowly getting used to it.”

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Harry Potter star Rupert Grint paid a surprise visit to the National Motor Museum in the New Forest.

Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the movie franchise, was at Beaulieu to see the ‘Flying’ Ford Anglia featured in the second film, ”Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’.

The car is on display in the National Motor Museum during 2011.

In the film, Harry Potter’s school friend Ron Weasley acquired the car after it was stolen.

The Anglia was a standard car until Ron’s Dad, Arthur Weasley enchanted it, making it able to fly, become invisible to Muggles and to carry his entire family despite its modest size.

In the real world, Rupert has added the Anglia to his collection of quirky cars, along with an Ice Cream Van, a modified VW Camper and a BMW Isetta bubble car.

The ‘Flying’ Ford Anglia can be seen as part of a visit to the National Motor Museum, including World of Top Gear and the James Bond Experience.

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ON THE eve of the latest episode in the series we reveal how the youngsters plucked from obscurity to play the lead roles became wealthy enough to retire for life before their 21st birthdays.

NEXT week one of the biggest cultural global events of the decade will take place – the first part of the last Harry Potter film will be released.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, which has been filmed in two parts, will almost certainly become the highest grossing film of all time.

The past six Harry Potter films have already made more £3.3billion so far and have helped turn JK Rowling into the world’s richest and only billionaire author. Many hundreds of millions more have been made from video games and merchandising.

However, Rowling, Hollywood and the marketing men are not the only ones to have benefited financially from the fantasy novels about life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The actors who play Harry Potter and his two chums have also become phenomenally rich.

Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry Potter, Emma Watson who takes the role of Hermoine Granger and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley have all become multi-millionaires. And yet unlike so many young footballers or teenage rock stars the young thespians have so far behaved in a remarkably adult way about their money. Hogwarts has taught them to be sensible.

The three child actors were first cast in their roles in early 2000, when the first film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was made. Daniel was 10, Rupert was 11 and Emma only nine. Not surprisingly all three were complete innocents about financial matters. They had pocket money for sweets and little else. “I don’t know how much money I have and I don’t need to know because I am only a kid,” said Daniel after the release of the second Harry Potter movie Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets in 2002.

“I have no idea what I’m going to do with all this money,” said Rupert innocently in 2003. “My dad never told me about how much I was earning,” said Emma. Now of course the trio have grown up and are conscious of their wealth. When I was 18 my father sat me down for a money conversation,” said Emma, now 20, who had been living on an allowance of £50 a week until then. By the fourth film the money was starting to get serious. I had no idea. I felt sick, very emotional.”

In a bid to cope she enrolled at a course run by the Queen’s bankers Coutts, which taught her how to manage money. The result is that she has barely touched her estimated £22million fortune, although she has invested in a ski chalet in Meribel, France, and a £3million house in north London. Earlier this year, for example, she was living in modest student digs while studying for her degree at America’s Brown University on Rhode Island.

“The truth is I just like to pretend that the money doesn’t exist,” said Emma, who was paid £10million for her part in the two Deathly Hallows films that end the series and is one of the movie industry’s top 40 earners. “It’s amazing how many children are aware from such a young age about money being important or supposedly impressive.

Around 13 or 14, kids used to come up to me and say, ‘You the girl on Harry Potter? How much do you make?’ I never knew. “Obviously now I realise I have enough money never to have to work again but I would never want that.

Clothes are probably my biggest expenditure and make-up. But I really don’t have time to spend my money.

Sometimes my bank manager calls to say ‘You haven’t used your card in a while and now you’re using it. No one’s stolen it, have they?’” Daniel Radcliffe is now the highest earning male actor in the world. He is said to be worth £42million and is considerably richer than, for example, Princes William or Harry. His friends say that he doesn’t care much about the money although Daniel said recently that what he does like about it is that it has given him “room for manoeuvre”.

“Obviously I’m in a very fortunate position where I don’t have to do things for the money,” he says. “I can simply do them because there’s an interesting character and a good director involved. What I love is acting rather than all the stuff that goes with it. The money is fantastic and I’m very grateful but it’s not the main thing that drives me. Being on rich lists is all very nice, but I am my own person. What people write about me doesn’t make me who I am.”

Daniel’s parents, like those of Emma Watson, were protective of their son and sent him to an ordinary state school. “I really am a pretty normal guy and I don’t have a fleet of Ferraris,” he said. (He drives a new VW Golf that he says is “a perfect car for zipping around”). He admits that rather than spend money he would prefer to sit in a darkened room in his underpants watching cricket and eating pasta.

He is known for supporting charities and has made several donations to help children’s hospices. Last year he made a major donation to the Trevor Project, a US organisation that runs a helpline for troubled lesbian and gay youngsters. However he is not letting his fortune sit in the bank. He has two New York apartments (costing £3million each) and has recently bought a fi vebedroom town house in the fashionable part of the city for £4million. He also has a flat in west London and is building up a modern art collection.

“The only thing I’m likely to spend on is art,” he says, “as that’s the only thing I’m interested in that costs a lot of money.” Rupert Grint is a year older than Daniel Radcliffe and while he might play second string to Harry Potter in the wizardry department he is probably the most financially astute of his co-stars.

The red-headed actor, who is estimated to be worth around £20million, owns two country mansions in Hertfordshire, the newest of which is an £5million 18th-century house with five reception rooms, six bedroom suites, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and two cottages in 22-acre grounds.

Until he bought that mansion he was living with his parents in the other house, a farmhouse that was bought for him in 2003 with a lake, a herd of pigs and its own putting green. He has also bought a £500,000 house in the county with his father Nigel, a former racing car driver, which the two of them plan to develop. But Rupert, like his co-stars, has certainly not adopted a typical celebrity lifestyle.

He drives a dilapidated pick-up truck and a working ice-cream van – an early Mr Whippy model, which he has restored and uses to serve his friends free cones. He also has a restored VW Camper van, a Range Rover and a hovercraft. “People stereotype child actors and expect you to go off the rails and be a bit crazy but that’s not really happened yet,” says Rupert. “I’ve never fancied that footballer lifestyle. I prefer to be in Hertfordshire where I was brought up and to be among my old friends.”

Like many other 22-year-olds, he likes watching TV, playing golf and going to the pub with his mates, one of whom is a teacher and another who works in a café. Next July the second part of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows will be released. It will be the end of the Potter films.

JK Rowling has said she will not write any more Potter books and unlike Star Wars it would be impossible for anybody else to write a sequel. “I’m sad to leave it behind but it is time to move on,” said Daniel after filming finished earlier this year. He, unlike Emma, is intending to continue acting rather than go to university.

“I’m feeling a mixture of things now that it’s over,” says Rupert. “It’s been a huge part of my life. But I’m ready to go and do other things.” “I know it sounds dramatic but I feel my life as I knew it is over,” says Emma. “My whole life was been about Harry Potter and now it’s shut down. It is time to consider other careers.”

Whatever happens to all three child actors, not only will they ever need to worry about money again, it also seems that they will live sensible, moderate and happy lives – 10 years of Hogwarts magic appear to have guaranteed that.

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Rupert Grint is looking forward to having no working commitments this summer because he is planning a road trip in his customised ice cream van.

Rupert Grint is going on a road trip in an ice cream van.

The 21-year-old actor is looking forward to a leisurely summer when shooting ends on the two ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ films – the final movies in the franchise in which he plays wizard Ron Weasley – after spending time improving the vehicle to make it driveable.

He said: “I’ve just had it done up because when I got it, it was a bit rough.

“I don’t use it much in the winter but now it’s open season with the weather improving.

“It’s not the most practical vehicle and I’ve stopped playing the music because you get young kids running out of their houses trying to buy a Cornetto. It’s basically a kitchen on wheels but I love it. I’ve always wanted one.”

Despite his excitement about his trip, Rupert is sad to be leaving the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise after nine years, even though he admits it did affect his friendships.

He explained in an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper: “It feels a bit strange now that it’s coming to an end because it’s been such a massive part of my life.

“There’s nothing I’d really change, except perhaps my school days. Whenever I got back after filming it was hard to adjust because you had missed all the in-jokes and school trips and I felt a bit out of it.”

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With fifth Potter movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix about to hit UK cinema screens, David Savage went to the press conference in London, then chatted to Daniel Radcliffe about art and theatre, and Rupert Grint about golf and ice cream! Here’s our report…

On the morning of Monday 25 June 2007, the day that Britain will have its worst storms in decades and Sheffield will be submerged underwater, a large group of international journalist types – and me – are sat in a big room in County Hall by the Thames in London. It looks like the House of Commons, but the witchy broomsticks scattered about make it clear that it’s not boring old politicians we’re waiting for. Nope, this is the press conference for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, hosted by That Ben Shepherd Off TV, and there’s a buzz in the air because all the major young cast members are about to arrive, along with the director, producer and writer.

When they do, it’s interesting to note the differences between Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint who sit together. Daniel’s smart with suit and tie, buzzes with nervous energy, talks lots and isn’t just make-you-smirk-from-time-to-time funny but actually spit-out-your-crisps laugh-out-loud funny, and could easily have a career as a stand-up comic. Whereas Rupert is casual, laid back, a teen of few words, and has a quieter sense of humour, a deep grin often creasing his face as he happily watches Daniel get tangled up in his rapid-fire monologues.

[…]

Next, it’s time to chat with Rupert Grint. He’s as chilled out as ever, friendly and fun to speak to.

Rupert, how did you find making Driving Lessons compared to making the Potter films. Like Daniel’s December Boys it was quite low budget…
Yeah, it was really two extremes. Driving Lessons had such a low budget. We just filmed it round London. It was really simple and I enjoyed it. We didn’t do too many takes – usually just about two takes. About five scenes a day. It’s such a different way of working; quite cool. And it was nice to be in such an atmosphere – not full of magical creatures. Dragons and stuff like that!

Which of the two types of film would you prefer to make in future?
I don’t know, really. I did like it, yeah. But it’s a lot of fun doing all the visual effects stuff, too, ’cause it’s really cool to look back and watch the film at the end. There’s one scene in the new Potter that’s just out there really, where we’re flying through London. It’s really wicked, and I do love stuff like that. I do like that side of film.

Is it true you’ve bought an ice cream van?
(NODS) It’s quite strange really. I’ve always been into the ice cream industry, and I’ve just got an ice cream van, yeah. It’s got two freezers and lots of ice cream in the back. It’s lots of fun driving it about.

Which ice cream van jingle does it play?
It’s hard to find one, actually. I can plug it into my MP3 player and play what I want, but it’s hard to find a good ice cream jingle.

Do you park then drive off when the local kids come for ice creams?
Yeah! You get a lot of disappointed children following you round.

There’s a road movie in that. You setting off on an adventure in your ice cream van…
Yeah! And it’s also a back up plan in case the acting doesn’t work out.

What else are you into?
I’ve got quite a few interests. When I left school I limited my boundaries a bit, I suppose. But I’ve always been into art.

Did you leave before A Levels?
Yeah, I left at 16. I could always go back… but I don’t see it, really!

Is it true you’re into golf?
Yeah, I am into golf. I’ve just been getting into it recently.

What’s the best golfing tip you’ve ever been given?
The best tip?!

Aren’t golfers always swapping golfing tips?
Yeah. Well, the most important thing is to keep your head down when you’re going through the swings. I never thought I’d get into it, but I really enjoy it.

Do you buy any of the golfing magazines?
I have bought a few, yeah!

It’s that bad, then?
Yeah. But there’s so much equipment involved!

You’re into music, too, aren’t you?
Yeah, I like music. I play the didgeridoo. I got a little CD that taught me – but I don’t really know what to do with it. I haven’t mastered it yet. I can make a noise with it. I can sound like Rolf Harris.

Which bands do you like?
I’ve got wide tastes. I like the Arctic Monkeys and a lot of new bands. I go to a lot of gigs.

On your travels, which country has the most intense Harry Potter fans?
It varies. The British ones aren’t as forward or loud as the American ones. But the Japanese are really crazy. I went a couple of years ago – it was really great.

Have you seen any of the films dubbed into Japanese?
Yeah, they ran them on TV there. It was cool. You couldn’t tell it was dubbed. It really looked like I was speaking Japanese.

When a new cast member like Evanna Lynch (as Luna Lovegood) joins the set, how do you make them feel like one of the family – because you must all have bonded so much over the years.
We don’t really do anything in particular. But Evanna fitted in really well. She knows the books so well, everyone speaks to her to find out stuff! It’s good for us when there’s someone new ’cause it freshens things up for us.

When the last Potter film wraps, there’ll surely be quite a big vacuum in your life – will it be hard to deal with for a while with when it all ends?
Definitely, yes. It’s been such a massive part of my life. Every year I’ve had the same consistent routine.

And you spend much more time in the Harry Potter world than out of it…?
Definitely, yeah. It will be weird not to do it, really. Hopefully other stuff will come up. But I’m gonna miss it. It’s been really fun and I’ve met some really cool people and done some really cool stuff.

Another writer asks Rupert if it’s true that he’s scared of spiders and he shudders – “yeah – spiders. Really bad. I don’t like ‘em at all” – so how did he cope with facing the whopping spider in Prisoner of Azkaban? He says he’s lucky he didn’t have to face any real ones, but adds “I’m not really scared of massive ones. Just the little ones that can crawl on you.”

So if you got into your ice cream van one pleasant morning and found a Black Widow perched on the Raspberry Ripple, how would you cope?
Oh, that’d ruin the whole thing. That would totally put me off it…

Original article found here: Popcorn | June 25th, 2007

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Rupert Grint was more than generous with his time when he talked to ComingSoon.net and he chatted about everything from how much his character grows in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to his favorite band and games he likes to play:

Q: That’s an amazing costume. Tell us about it.
Rupert Grint: Yeah, this is only a little bit of it as well. This is only part of the costume because I’m a keeper I’ve got this massive leather body pad and I’ve got this hat sort of Keeper hat like a padded helmet. I’ve been enjoying Quidditch this year. It’s been alright. It is a bit of an anticlimax because it is actually really painful and really uncomfortable.

Q: How so?
Grint: ‘Cause you’re sitting on a broom and that is quite uncomfortable. And we’ve got harnesses and rigs where the broom moves like that and it does hurt a bit but it is good fun and I am enjoying it.

Q: Daniel said now you understand why he’s not crazy for it.
Grint: I do yeah. This is the first time I’ve got to play Quidditch. I’ve always as I’ve always been quite keen to try it out. Yeah, he’s always said it’s quite painful and he’s definitely right it’s not too comfortable.

Q: So what happens on the field? We are told it is a little more comic than we’re use to.
Grint: It is. This one is a lot more light-hearted than the last one. The last one was really quite dark but this one’s got a few more lighter sort of moments. The Quidditch is quite fun ’cause for Ron there is two sides to it. There’s a side when he thinks he’s really good ’cause he thinks he’s taken the potion and there’s the other side at the try-outs where he’s actually not very good. I have to do a bit of both of this one.

Q: You also get some romance in this movie. Can you talk about that?
Grint: Yeah sure. Ron gets a girlfriend in this one. Jessie Cave who plays Lavender is really cool. She’s really funny. We’ve already filmed the kissing scene a few weeks ago. It was actually quite embarrassing. I wasn’t feeling too uncomfortable about it until the actual day came. The actual scene we did it in the common room full of people cheering and I was standing on this little plinth, this stage and it was actually um, I felt quite self-conscious really ’cause everyone’s there looking at us. We were both quite nervous about it but it was alright.

Q: Was that your first on screen love scene or kissing scene?
Grint: No, I did a little one in “Driving Lessons,” there was a little kiss in that. But that was alright ’cause I was just on my own. But on this one it was a lot different. Once we did the first few it was good.

Q: How many takes did you have to do? I think Daniel said for his he had to do something like 30.
Grint: 30 yeah. No mine was nothing like that. I think it was around eight because he knew we were quite uncomfortable about it and it was quite nerve wracking scene so he kept it to I think about eight so it wasn’t too bad.

Q: Did you pop a lot of gum or mints before?
Grint: Yeah, I did yeah, definitely.

Q: It is really a different relationship between Ron and Lavender than we’re use to seeing in the books. It’s the only one scene that is kind of teenage hormonal, purely physical. Was that hard for you at all?
Grint: No, we’ve only done a few sort of excerpts from it, but it is quite funny really. He’s pretty one sided ’cause right from the beginning Ron is never really sort of comfortable with the whole thing and this is sort of his first proper relationship. She gets a little bit too crazy and possessive and that and sort of scares him a little bit and he becomes kind of one sided. It was quite fun. She’s really funny as well as Lavender.

Q: In the last film Ron had some issues with Harry and it was kind of dark. Tell me about Ron’s character’s journey in this film and how it’s different.
Grint: He’s a bit more cocky in this one ’cause he’s on the Quidditch team and he’s got a girlfriend and sort of thinks he’s quite special. It was quite a new thing to do because before he was a little bit of a nerd and not really fitting in. But now it is quite fun to do all that sort of stuff.

Q: What does Hermione think of him having a girlfriend in this movie?
Grint: I think she’s a bit jealous and you can see probably see that in the film ’cause there are a few scenes that suggest she does sort of like Ron and it sort of leads up to the seventh film.

Q: What’s your feelings about seven coming up no matter what shape it takes, is the feeling changing around here since you’ve been around here so long as things are starting to get to the end now?
Grint: Yeah, I suppose. I loved the seventh book. I thought it was really good and I really liked the ending myself. So yeah I’m really looking forward to doing it. I’m not really consciously thinking about it ’cause I’m doing this but it’s the first time we’ve really known where it’s going to go. Before there has always been a book that hasn’t been out yet so yeah it’s going to be quite cool.

Q: What do you think has been the most challenging thing that you’ve had to do so far?
Grint: Quidditch is quite hard. I was surprised at how physical it is ’cause we had to do quite a bit of training on a trampoline which was actually quite scary ’cause we were going quite high. They rigged us up to this wire rig and we had to do flips and stuff and I didn’t really feel very comfortable doing that.

Q: Once J.K. Rowling made the revelation that Dumbledore was gay that Michael Gambon off camera would kind of swishy things. Is that true?
Grint: I dunno. I haven’t actually done a scene with Michael Gambon yet. But I was quite shocked at it and it was quite funny. When you sort of think about it is does make sense really in some ways. I think it’s cool.

Q: When we see you guys on the red carpets or on the junkets we always ask what you thought about the end and what would actually happen. What did happen when you all finally read the book? Did you all call each other or what was the reaction?
Grint: I was quite surprised really ’cause there was so much hype about it that I was expecting one of us to not make it. So I was really surprised ’cause I thought one of us would go. I was happy ’cause it is a really nice ending and we all live happily ever after so it was nice. It was good.

Q: Are you prepared to let this go?
Grint: I dunno. You can definitely feel it coming to an end now and I think it’s going to be quite sad and I will miss it. It’s been quite a long time now, it’s been like 9 years and I’ve really enjoyed it so I dunno. It’s going to be really weird yeah.

Q: We’ve basically seen you all grow up on screen. How odd is that for you?
Grint: It is especially when I’m coming up on 20 this year so it is really weird. Especially ’cause they’ve been playing the old films on TV recently and I’ve caught a few bits on them and it is really strange looking at them ’cause we were so different then.

Q: Daniel said he teased you about having to do the kissing scene but did he give you any kind of advise or tips before it or did he just laugh at you?
Grint: Yeah basically he did yeah. No he really didn’t give me any advise. It all happened quite quickly really. It was over quite quickly and it was quite embarrassing and I wasn’t really looking forward to it. But it was alright.

Q: Was Jessie a good kisser?
Grint: No, yeah, it was good. It is quite a quick kiss and yeah, it was good yeah.

Q: When you were reading book seven was there anything that you really look forward to filming while reading it?
Grint: Yeah, I’m really interested in the end ’cause in the end it sort of skips to 19 years later and how they are going to do that. Sort of make-up or something.

Q: Did you read the end of the book when you got it in your hands? Did you flip immediately to the end?
Grint: Yeah, I did. I couldn’t handle it I had to find out.

Q: Were you afraid at all that Ron was going to die, would you have cared?
Grint: It would have been quite fun I suppose it would have been quite a cool scene and it was the last book so I wouldn’t have been missing out on anything so it would have been quite fun. But I think the ending as it happened was the right way to go.

Q: So are you ready to do the Harry Potter reunion special in 10 years?
Grint: Oh God. Not yet but maybe in the future but probably not for a while.

Q: Ron’s got to deal with the death of SPOILER in seven so that’s got to be quite intense too?
Grint: Yeah it is. That’s going to be quite tricky. That was quite sad actually when reading that. I’m looking forward to seven it’s going to be really cool.

Q: Tell us about the scene where you take a love potion.
Grint: Yeah that was quite a cool and fun thing to do. Ron takes these chocolates that are poisoned with this love poison and Ron goes into this sort of strange drunk like state. Yeah that was quite a fun thing to do. It was one of the first things we did. It was cool.

Q: When we spoke at the last set visit everyone was saying that you have the best trailer. Is that still the case?
Grint: Yeah definitely. I’ve got a really cool trailer.

Q: You’ve got a ping-pong table…
Grint: Ping-pong table, table football, yeah it’s just really cool. It’s sort of that everyone goes there and tries to beat me at table tennis.

Q: Are you a gamer?
Grint: Yeah I’ve got a Wii, yeah. It’s good.

Q: You an air guitar fan?
Grint: Yeah, I’ve played that. I’ve actually got one here and I do like it.

Q: Are you good at it?
Grint: I’m not bad, yeah. Depends what song it is.

Q: What’s your game of choice?
Grint: My game of choice? At the moment I’m playing Tiger Woods on the Wii. I’m a bit of a golf fan so it’s really good. I’m enjoying that.

Q: Have you taken your ice-cream truck out yet?
Grint: I was going to bring it out quite recently but it’s broken down. It needs a new engine and it needs a load of new parts and I’m going to give it a new paint job. It’s going to look really cool.

Q: Are you going to do it yourself?
Grint: No, I don’t know anything about it.

Q: Do you have a name for it?
Grint: It’s a Mr. Whippy.

Q: Any dream roles after Harry Potter?
Grint: I’m not sure. There’s nothing in particular really. I think I’d like to play someone who’s a little bit mean. I think that would be quite cool or evil that would be different I suppose.

Q: If you found the perfect role how far would you go to get it? Would you shave your head, would you gain weight, would you dye your hair?
Grint: Yeah, I’d definitely go with the hair. I guess I’d probably do anything ’cause in the film “Thunder Pants” I had to have a perm for that one so that was quite an extreme thing.

Q: They actually permed your hair?
Grint: Yeah they actually permed my hair.

Q: So did you have to grow it out longer to have them perm it?
Grint: It was quite long anyway so they just permed it and it was a proper permanent. For a while I wore a cap everywhere. It was quite embarrassing.

Q: Are you able to go about and about in London?
Grint: Yeah, I am getting recognized a bit more now since the last film but it’s still fine. It never happens too much. It’s good.

Q: What kind of things do you usually like to go out and do?
Grint: I see quite a few bands.

Q: Like who?
Grint: I went to the V festival last year that was quite cool. It’s all these different bands. The Killers played there it was cool.

Q: Do you have any crazy stalker fan stories? When you are approached on the street has anyone ever done something or said something inappropriate?
Grint: No stalkers or anything strange like that. Nothing really strange. We get sent some unique things. I get sent pajamas all the time.

Q: Pajamas?
Grint: Pajamas yeah. SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas was a funny thing to get.

Q: If there was one thing you could change about Ron what would it be?
Grint: I’ve always liked Ron. He was always sort of my favorite character in the book. I dunno, nothing probably. I’ve always got on with him.

Q: He’s perfect?
Grint: Yeah.

Q: Is there an element in this film that when Harry and Ginny start to get together does Ron have a reaction to that?
Grint: Yeah definitely, Ron is very protective of Ginny in this one. There are a few scenes, ’cause she also goes out with Dean Thomas as well and she gets a bit flirty with him and Ron doesn’t really like that and disapproves a little bit. So that was quite a fun thing to do.

Q: Now that you’re 20, is it easier for you to relate to your character now that they are getting older and dating?
Grint: Yeah I suppose it is ’cause I’ve always been a few years ahead of Ron and that sort of helps you know what goes on. Especially with the whole sister protective thing ’cause I’ve got little sisters as well and I sort of take it from that a little bit. It is good.

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LONDON—Rupert Grint is earning millions playing Ron Weasley in the “Harry Potter” movie series but guess what he loves to drive around in?

An ice cream van.

Explaining that he’s always had “an interest in the ice cream industry,” Rupert said in a press con at the Claridge’s Hotel that driving a van with a kitchen and freezer at the back is “really cool.”

The shyest of the three principals in the hit film franchise, Rupert surprised us with long replies. In our previous interviews, he would mumble only one or two-sentence answers that led to occasional awkward pauses.

Goofy appeal

Still, the red-haired actor remains basically shy. This bashfulness—and the fact that he’s not as serious and driven as his co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson—is what’s most endearing about Rupert. He’s also very unpretentious so his answers, though short, are sincere and charming. His revelation that he tools around in an ice cream van adds to his goofy appeal. The girls love him.

Before we run our Q and A with Rupert, let us share some quotes from Emma, whom we also interviewed. Among the three “Harry Potter” leads, Emma is the one who has changed the most, physically. While Daniel and Rupert still look boyish, Emma definitely looks like a young woman now. Her face is leaner—she looks so different, even though we saw her only less than a year ago on a set visit at the Leavesden Studios as they were filming “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.”

This afternoon, Emma was in a mood to talk as well. “I think every time you guys see me, I probably look different,” she said. She was on target on that one. “I’m still growing up,” she added.

When the reporters heard a toddler’s voice in the room, Emma explained, “My little sister Nina is at the back.”

Who’s going to die?
The big talk these days is on which two characters will die in the final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” which will be released on July 21, just over a week after “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” hits the theaters on July 11.

The topic was also on Emma’s mind. “Today, a couple of journalists told me that there’s this guy who claims to have been able to hack into J.K. Rowling’s computer,” she shared. Putting her hands on her chest, she continued, “He’s saying that Hermione is going to die. I was like, ‘Oh God, that’s awful.’ I actually found myself feeling sad. I have not really contemplated on her dying. I always had the sense that she’d make it.”

Of course, no one, except J.K. Rowling and her book printer, really know who survive in the seventh novel.

Emma does not bring up the books when she sees the author: “Whenever I see Jo (J.K.’s nickname, short for Joanne), I always try not to speak to her about the novels. I know that sounds strange but I see her as a separate person, a friend. Because I know what it feels like for people to always speak to you about ‘Harry Potter.’ Sometimes you want to be considered as a person who has a life outside of ‘Harry Potter.’ I would feel too embarrassed to ask her to sign anything for me. I don’t have anything written from her.”

Very similar

The actress is emotionally attached to her character not only because she has been playing her all these years. “Hermione and I are very similar in quite a lot of ways,” she explained. “We’re both very stubborn, determined, loyal, bossy, academic and a bit of a feminist.”

Unlike Rupert, Emma went to see Daniel and Richard Griffiths (who plays Harry’s Muggle uncle) in their play, “Equus,” which drew lots of media attention because Daniel stripped naked onstage. “Dan was brilliant,” she gushed. “I thought Richard Griffiths was also brilliant.”

Asked if she was ever infatuated with Daniel, Emma quickly answered, “I’ve never really had a crush on Dan. There are defiant elements of his personality which are very desirable. I can talk to him for hours. He’s very witty, quick, intelligent, eccentric and different.”

Catching up

Confessing to trying to catch up with Daniel’s knowledge of cinema and actors, the 17-year-old who plans to attend college revealed, “I remember Dan’s face when he learned that I didn’t know who Gary Oldman (Sirius Black) was. He looked at me like I had three heads. But I’m getting there.”

“I will take some time off after I finish the seventh movie,” she replied when queried about her plans. “I’d really like to travel.” The actress, who has French heritage, added, “I’d like to spend some time in France and pick up my French again. I’d love to do a film in France. That would be really cool.”

So far, this millionairess has not splurged on anything big. “Clothes are pretty much my biggest expenditure,” she stated. “I bought myself an Apple laptop which has my music, work and stuff. It’s my pride and joy. I guess a car will be my next thing. But my dad, who loves cars, will be bitterly disappointed that I’ll probably get a small, un-intimidating, safe car. I don’t want anything fancy.”

“No ice cream van,” she clarified with a laugh. “I’ve got Rupert for that.”

* * *

The following are excerpts of our press con with Rupert:

I read the other day that you bought an ice cream van. Why?
I’ve always had an interest in the ice cream industry (laughter). And the ice cream van is really cool. I’ve just passed my driving test as well. The van has a freezer at the back.

Do you need a special license to drive the van?
No because it’s really small. The van has a big kitchen at the back with sinks. I’ve been driving it for about five months now. I just drive it around. It has a little bell. It plays a little tune as well.

It must be a chick magnet.
Oh yeah, definitely (laughter).

Do you still have the pickup?
I still have the 1950 Chevy pickup. I was really into classic American cars. But I can’t get insured on that. It’s too fast. So I’m just driving the ice cream van at the moment.

What do you do in your spare time?
I’ve got the ice cream van that’s keeping me busy. I play a lot of golf as well.

Do you actually make ice cream?
Oh yeah, definitely.

Do you sell it?
Not yet. There are things I have to sort out.

What’s your favorite ice cream?
I’m quite simple. I don’t know if you’ve heard of the 99 [an ice cream cone made with soft ice cream], which is quite popular here. It’s just a whippy, really. It’s like a soft vanilla ice cream with a flake.

What music do you play in the van?
I’ve got some classics. It’s really hard to find them. All I’ve got is an MP3 player that I plug in. The van has a loudspeaker. I’ve been trying to search the Internet to find some traditional ice cream [truck] tunes. I just can’t find them.

Are you worried that your character might be one of the two that will die in the final book?
It would be quite cool to have a death scene, especially if it involves a really cool battle scene. It’s going to be really sad though when it all ends. We’ve got the last two films. It’s going to be weird because these movies have been a big part of my life. I’m going to miss it. I’m really grateful because these movies allowed me to do things I’d probably never get to do otherwise. I got out of school which is quite a bonus. I’ve gone to places which I would have never gone to had these films not come my way.

Do you guys get advance copies of the “Harry Potter” books?
No. On the day the book comes out, that’s when we get it.

Do you get a chance to talk to J.K. Rowling?
Yes, she comes to the set. We talk. But she’s quite good at not giving anything away. Dan and I asked her a few questions. We actually asked her if Harry dies but she didn’t give anything away at all.

Do you plan to go to a university?
I’ve never really been big on school. I didn’t do that well on my exams. I did well in art but that was it, really—which is why I packed it in at 16 [years old]. So about going to a university, I don’t know. Maybe in the future.

For the sake of the continuity of this movie series, are you under contract not to, for example, change your hairstyle or have tattoos?
There are things we’re not allowed to do. We’re not supposed to have tattoos. I’m not allowed to have a major haircut in between films. They have control over my hair at the moment. But Warner Bros. has been good to us. They don’t really make you feel like you’re imprisoned.

Daniel had his first kissing scene in this movie. Are you frustrated that you don’t get to kiss a girl?
I’m not too frustrated about it because I did “Driving Lessons” and there was a little kiss in that. It was probably the most embarrassing moment in my life. You’re in this little set and the crew is watching. It’s not the nicest atmosphere. In the next movie, Ron gets a girlfriend so I’ll get my chance then.

Do you have a girlfriend now?
No, I don’t have any at the moment. It’s cool. I get more attention now. But it’s good fun.

How similar or different are you to Ron Weasley?
I’d like to think that I’m a little bit braver than Ron because he can be a bit of a wimp sometimes. Although I am scared of spiders as well. But in this one, Ron has moved away from his wimpy side a little bit. He attacked a few of the Death Eaters. So he’s getting there.

Can you tell us how it was filming “Driving Lessons”?
It was all right. It was different—that’s one of the reasons why I enjoyed doing that movie. It was nice to do something smaller, something without any blue screen so I could react to real things. I really enjoyed it.

Will you start collecting cars?
I’m not sure yet. I’m big into cars. I don’t know if I’m going to start collecting cars. I’ve always been pretty sensible until I had the ice cream van.

Did you see Daniel in “Equus”?
No. I didn’t get the chance to see him. I really wanted to see it. I did try to get tickets. But it was hard to get them. I heard the play was really good. It got good reviews. It was quite a brave thing for him to do. I still can’t get over it, really.

Perhaps you did not watch Daniel in “Equus” because of the nudity?
I won’t use the word scared. But I suppose…

Embarrassed?
I suppose it could have been a little awkward. It’s quite a brave role to take on. I definitely respect him for doing it. I could never, never see myself doing that at the moment.

Will you continue acting and have the ice cream business as a backup?
I will always have that as a backup, yeah. I definitely want to continue acting if I can because I really do enjoy it.

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