Harry Potter Stars' Lives Outside of the Movies: The Good, the Bad and the Heartbreaking

The list includes Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Matthew Lewis, Devon Murray and Jamie Waylett

By Corinne Heller Feb 16, 2017 6:09 PMTags
Daniel RadcliffeAndrew Toth/Getty Images

Life outside of Hogwarts has been very different for the Harry Potter stars.

It has been challenging for many of them to maintain a normal, or normal-lish life after growing up in the spotlight and helping to bring a $7.7 billion movie franchise to life.

Some battled personal turmoil during and after filming. Others struggled to find other acting work. But some also became even more famous.

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter): In a 2011 interview with GQ magazine, the actor revealed that when he was 18 and filming Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth film in the eight-part series, he had an alcohol problem.

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"I became so reliant on [alcohol] to enjoy stuff," Radcliffe said, adding that he had also become "complacent" about his job. "There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person's lifestyle that really isn't suited to me."

"I have a very addictive personality. It was a problem. People with problems like that are very adept at hiding it. It was bad. I don't want to go into details, but I drank a lot and it was daily—I mean nightly," Radcliffe told British magazine Heat in 2012.

"I can honestly say I never drank at work on Harry Potter," he added. "I went into work still drunk, but I never drank at work. I can point to many scenes where I'm just gone. Dead behind the eyes."

 
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Daniel Radcliffe Through The Years
Radcliffe revealed on Marc Maron's WTF podcast in 2015 that he got "f--ked up" in bars and with fans after he finished Harry Potter.

"There was definitely a time when I was coming out of Potter into the real world, and suddenly I was in a world when I was not in that consistency anymore," Radcliffe told Maron. "Then I was living alone, and I think I was really freaked out."

''I drank a lot but that was more to do with actually going out in public and a battle in me going, 'I can have a totally normal life, man, this is fine'" he said. "That is the thing—most people probably can but I definitely can't. I haven't had a drink now for over two years. You get bored of waking up feeling like that."

In 2011, after the release of the final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the actor continued to act, appearing in films such as The Woman in Black, Kill Your DarlingsVictor Frankenstein and Swiss Army Man, the London and Broadway play Equus and in the 2011 revival of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

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Harry Potter Reunion at the VIP Preview of Diagon Alley at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Jon Furniss/WireImage

Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan): The actor, who did not continue acting after Harry Potterrevealed some personal turmoil of his own last year in honor of Mental Health Day.

"I've been battling depression in silence for ten years & only recently spoke about it and has made a huge difference #worldmentalhealthday," he tweeted. "I had suicidal thoughts this year and that was the kick up the arse that I needed! Open up, talk to people. If you suspect a friend or family member is suffering in silence #ReachOut to them. Let them know you care #worldmentalhealthday."

Jamie Waylett (Vincent Crabbe): The actor was sentenced to two years in jail in 2012 for taking part in a riot in London. The actor also admitted to drinking from a Champagne bottle a looter had stolen from a supermarket during the unrest.

He was caught on CCTV cameras and found guilty of violent disorder, handling stolen goods and being in possession of a Molotov cocktail with intent to destroy or damage property.

Jessie Cave, who played Lavender Brown in several Harry Potter films but shared no scenes with Waylett, penned an op-ed about his sentencing in the U.K. newspaper The Guardian.

"In my opinion, the riots were like a huge party that no one wanted to miss, but were not really sure how they got invited or why they were suddenly there, in a hood, with alcohol and fire all around them, surrounded by people singing and shouting," she said. "There were youths who got As at school, worked hard, who applied for jobs and more jobs, worked harder only to not have anything to show for it at the end of the day. There were youths with a capacity for self-destruction, and those who wanted to party. There were youths who were angry, maybe because they didn't know why they were angry. The youths who, like my friends and I, can't understand and can't relate, simply weren't there."

"I don't know where Waylett would have fitted in with these groups, but I like to think he was just at the wrong place at the wrong time," she wrote. "I also hope his IMDB timeline picks up once he gets out of jail."

Waylett never acted against after the release of the 2009 film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth film in the eight-part series.

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Matthew Lewis: From Hogwarts to Hottie!

Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom): Who would've thought Harry's dorky school mate would turn out to be such a fox?

The actor, who went on to appear on British shows such as Bluestone 42, Happy Valley and Ripper Street, has showcased his hot bod in magazines and on his Instagram, which continues to be the gift that keeps on giving.

Even Harry Potter author and creator J.K. Rowling appears to be impressed with his magnificent transformation.

Last December, Lewis broke hearts when it was announced he is engaged to girlfriend Angela Jones.

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Emma Watson (Hermione Granger): After Harry Potter, the actress continued her acting career and became an advocate for gender equality and U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador.

She also became a Disney princess: She plays Belle in the live-action, half-animated Beauty and the Beast reboot, set for release on March 17.

Scarlett Byrne (Patsy Parkinson): The actress, also known for playing Nora on The Vampire Diaries, recently stripped naked for Playboy.

"Proud to be a part of the March/April issue of Playboy. Thank you to @Playboy & @Cooperhefner for such a unique opportunity. #NakedIsNormal," she tweeted.

Byrne and Cooper HefnerPlayboy founder Hugh Hefner's 25-year-old son, have been engaged since 2015.

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James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley): The Phelps twins, who are not actually redheads by the way, had small acting projects after Harry Potter. They have also become the ultimate Harry Potter ambassadors.

Since the movie series ended its run, the two have made official appearances at the franchise's two Universal Studios theme parks in California and Florida as well as its exhibition at the Warner Bros. Studios in London and the Netherlands.

Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley): The actor has gone from playing awkward to playing gangster; After starring in lesser-known acting projects, he nabbed a role in Crackle's anticipated series spin-off of Guy Ritchie's 2000 film Snatch, set for release on March 16.

He also crossed into the music world: Just as Harry Potter was coming to an end, he starred in Ed Sheeran's 2011 music video "Lego House."

But it hasn't been easy to continue his acting career after Harry Potter. In a 2012 interview with Digital Spy, Grint said he "felt a bit lost" after filming the last movie in the series.

"It was such a huge part of my life, in all our lives, really and just suddenly, it was all over," he said. "It was sad to not be a part of this anymore."

Grint continues to get recognized thanks to Harry Potter and sometimes it leads to some awkward moments.

"I've sometimes had a bit of trouble at music festivals," he told the U.K. newspaper The Independent in 2014. "It's usually fine, but if you're in a massive crowd of drunken people and one of them suddenly spots you, it gets hard to move around. Sometimes you want a bit of invisibility. Perhaps I should wear an invisibility cloak—that would be handy!"

"But I have actually experimented with disguises," he said. "Once I wore a horse's-head disguise for an entire festival. It wasn't comfortable, and I got quite claustrophobic, but it really worked. It was quite liberating. I felt completely free!"