Rupert Grint, best known for playing Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise, says he nearly decided to sell ice cream after finishing the series.

Former Harry Potter star Rupert Grint very nearly decided to leave his acting career behind him in favor of becoming an ice cream man after the wizarding franchise concluded in 2011. Grint is most widely-known for his portrayal of Harry Potter's loyal friend Ron Weasley, with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone marking Grint's professional debut as an actor at the age of 11. Grint continued to play the role across all the subsequent films in the series over the next ten years, as well as gaining prominent roles in other movies during this time such as Thunderpants and Driving Lessons. Grint most recently appeared in the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, in which he reunited with his former costars to reminisce on their time working on the billion-dollar franchise.

Grint made his final appearance as Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, and went on to expand his filmography by starring in a number of diverse movies and television series. This has included the World War II drama Cross of Honour, the animated children's film Postman Pat: The Movie and a BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie's Poirot novel The ABC Murders. More recently, Grint has appeared in the psychological horror series Servant, which has just been renewed for a fourth season, and is set to star in the upcoming Netflix anthology series Guilermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. Much like his former Harry Potter costars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, Grint has managed to successfully carve-out quite a varied career in the years since he left Harry Potter, undertaking a slew of leading roles and establishing himself as a highly versatile actor.

Related: The Harry Potter Reunion Proved Why Rupert Grint Was The Perfect Ron

However, it appears that Grint was very nearly ready to trade-in his acting career for a more unexpected profession. In an interview with The New York Times, the actor outlines how his ten years playing Ron left him worried that he couldn't play anyone else and that he wouldn't "make it as an adult actor" when the Harry Potter films ended. As a result, this led to Grint buying an ice cream van and briefly considering that he "could make a go of that" before returning to acting a year later. Read the relevant article excerpt below:

When the “Harry Potter” films ended, Mr. Grint was worried that he may not make it as an adult actor. He knew how to play Ron, Harry’s brave, anxious sidekick. He didn’t know if he could play anyone else. “I definitely did think, ‘Is it too late to pick something else?’” he said. He bought a pink-and-white ice cream van, which he drove back to his family home just north of London on his last day of shooting. He thought briefly that he could make a go of that. But after taking a year off, he tried acting again. He had been sent a lot of “Potter” adjacent material — more sidekicks — but he held on for edgier, more serious, more adult work. He took a part in a Jez Butterworth play, enjoying the discipline of theater, and starred in the Crackle crime dramedy “Snatch.”

Grint has noted the suffocating pressure of filming the Harry Potter movies before, and while he unquestionably loved being a part of the franchise, his wondering as to whether it was "too late to pick something else" illustrates that he wanted a break from acting after the series finished. It's also evident that he was only interested in pursuing an acting career that moved away from the characteristics he became associated with when playing Ron. However, quite what inspired him to specifically consider selling ice cream instead, even going so far as to buy an appropriate van, Grint has not yet elaborated on.

This surprising revelation will no doubt come as an entertaining, if unexpected, piece of Harry Potter trivia for fans. It certainly invites speculation as to what Grint's career as an ice cream man would have looked like had he decided to pursue it even further, such as how he may have used his association with the wizarding franchise to promote the business. But for many, it will likely be a source of huge relief that he decided to continue with acting after all, as his ongoing success proves that the former Harry Potter star is still deeply admired as an actor.

More: Why Rupert Grint Hasn't Been In More Movies

Source: The New York Times

Toby is a Movie/TV News writer for Screen Rant. With a degree in Scriptwriting and Performance from the University of East Anglia, his fascination and love for film goes all the way back to his first viewing of 'Chicken Run' (which he maintains is still the greatest film of all time). He is currently based in the North East of England and in his spare time can be found writing plays, going for runs (or otherwise a short jog and calling it a run), and watching Classic Doctor Who.