By Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley were already household names before 2001’s Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone was released. But along with the new movie adaptation came the faces to the names, worn by tiny tykes Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint in the roles that would change their lives, but hopefully not define their careers. Now that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part 1 is being released and Part 2 is in post-production, we are all waiting to see what will become of the beloved trio.
Continue after the jump to see how far these young actors have come over the years, and to find out where they are headed next.
Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley were already household names before 2001’s Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone was released. But along with the new movie adaptation came the faces to the names, worn by tiny tykes Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint in the roles that would change their lives, but hopefully not define their careers. Now that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, Part 1 is being released and Part 2 is in post-production, we are all waiting to see what will become of the beloved trio.
Continue after the jump to see how far these young actors have come over the years, and to find out where they are headed next.
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Just look at how cute they were! I really want to caption this picture with baby talk (my preferred form of expression), but I will try to use my words. Here we have the three young actors at their freshest, circa 2001's The Sorcerer's Stone. Grint (centre image) is already at work on those facial expressions that give Ron so much of his character. Watson (right image) proves herself to be a master of the eager beaver persona that characterizes muggle outcast, Hermione. And Radcliffe (left image) confides to his new friend Rupert about all of the pressure on his shoulders, on screen and off, now that he has been cast as (arguably) the most famous children's book character of all time. "Heavy sh*t."
Of course, they couldn't stay young forever. Having a few years on the young actors, I cannot personally speak for this, but I can only imagine how special it has been for young Harry Potter fans to grow up with their idols, to see Hermione's hair get smoother and smaller, Ron grow way taller, and Harry spewing hormones everywhere. This image, circa 2004's The Prisoner of Azkaban, says it all: growing up means getting bruised and bloodied, and heartbroken (by which I refer to all the fans who wanted this to happen).
We all know it's been a long run for these kids, so you can't blame them for looking a little haggard. The teens have gone through a lot together, but have also lived out careers of their own, some more successful than others.
Grint was the first to step out of the wizard's cloak, with 2002's Thunderpants (image below, left). Why, yes it is about a young boy who can fart his way into space! Shockingly, this didn't cement Grint as the Next Big Thing, so he has turned his attention to independent films like 2007's Driving Lessons and 2009's Cherrybomb. This year, in addition to Deathly Hallows, Part 1, Grint has a supporting role in Wild Target, a British ensemble comedy headed up by Bill Nighy and Emily Blunt. While seeming to get the least attention of the three Harry Potter stars, Grint has had comparable film experience and is even set to become his own titular character, playing Olympic ski jumper Eddie Edwards in the 2011 biopic Eddie the Eagle. Something tells me (mainly the image below, right) that Grint has a darker side to show us, so I wouldn't be surprised if his dramatic film credits begin to outweigh the comedic.
Watson has had a far more quiet film career than her co-stars, only taking a break once from the series to film the television movie Ballet Shoes (2007). However, the actress is a media favourite, her duckling-to-swan transformation documented closely. Watson's simple, but fresh beauty caught the eye of Burberry head designer Christopher Bailey, and she became the face of the label for several ad campaigns. Watson seems eager to distinguish herself as a fashionable lady in the image of other prim thespians like Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan (case in point: the new 'do), perhaps with the hope that her career will take a similar path to theirs. Watson is easing out of the gate with a single film prospect on the horizon, 2011's My Week with Marilyn, but her starring role and an impressive cast, including Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, and Judi Dench, seem to signal an even brighter future for the actress.
All eyes have been on Daniel Radcliffe since he took up the mantel and scar that transformed him into the boy wizard Harry Potter. Unlike newcomers Watson and Grint, Radcliffe had had some experience on screen, first in the 1999 television adaptation of David Copperfield where he played Copperfield as a young boy, and next in 2001's The Tailor of Panama. Radcliffe made his next foray into muggle-film territory in 2007's The December Boys and with his role as Jack Kipling (Rudyard's son) in the television movie My Boy Jack, which also aired in 2007. However, Radcliffe didn't make any waves outside of the Potter universe until it was announced that he would star in a production of Peter Shaffer's play Equus in which he would fully disrobe. Shock. Awe.
Radcliffe received positive reviews both in London and New York where the play was staged. This success has led to one of Radcliffe's next projects, a starring role in the 2011 Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. As we've reported here, Radcliffe is also starring in the upcoming adaptation of the ghost story The Woman in Black and will follow that up with The Journey is the Destination based on the life and early death of photojournalist Bob Eldon. Here's hoping that he's as good in these new roles as he is at playing himself.