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Joined: May 2003
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| Fan musters the courage to interview Rupert Grint of ‘Harry Potter’ fame
By Rebecca Delaney
Special to TeenStar
He — (gulp) — er, em, hey, Ru-r-r-rupert.”
It’s hard to do an interview when you’re so starstruck and giddy you can barely command your mouth and vocal cords to produce intelligible sounds.
My tongue feels swollen in my mouth like a fat slug — the kind of slimy, bloated breed you’d find only in a Harry Potter book. I’m sweating profusely, and I think it’s almost enough to leave a pool beneath my chair. Then again, I might have just wet myself.
I can’t believe I’m talking to Rupert Grint. Better known as his onscreen persona Ron Weasley, he’s the carrot-topped, bumbling heartthrob who has single-handedly convinced college girls the world over that dating a right-hand man is totally appealing … if he’s as adorably awkward as Mr. Grint.
Ron, er, I mean Rupert, answers: “Hello?”
There’s something strangely soothing in his voice. It’s a soft note of something uncomfortable … not nervous, but reluctant. My mind floods with an image of Rupert anxiously sitting in a press room with his eyes darting from Potter PR reps to Warner Bros. agents, hyperventilating as he wonders when they’ll realize they have an impostor on their hands — an accidental celebrity.
The sound of his discomfort lifts my spell. Suddenly I’m not the least bit nervous. Because I’m talking to a kid who’s a million times more nervous than I’ll ever be; he’s one of the biggest stars in the world, and I get the feeling he has no idea how it happened.
Momentarily freed of my intense urge to magically shimmy through the phone lines and plop a big, fat kiss on Rupert’s lips, I launch into questions:
As the seventh book approaches (July 21), what’s something you hope J.K. Rowling writes about so you can act it out?
I’m not sure, really. There’s a lot of rumors and theories about what’s going to happen in the seventh one. Everyone’s sort of betting on who’s going to die next, which is sort of strange. A death scene might be cool, though, if there’s a really cool battle.
It’s about time for a guy like Rupert to get his own, epic death scene. In the fifth movie, “Order of the Phoenix,” due in theaters July 11, Harry Potter is the center of attention like never before. Rupert, Emma Watson (who plays Hermione Granger) and the rest of the youthful cast don’t have the same screen time they’ve had in the past.
But Rupert, now 18, isn’t shrinking on the sidelines. Between “Potter” flicks he has starred in two independent films, “Thunderpants” and “Driving Lessons.” He has even ventured into the nerve-racking territory of onscreen romance, locking lips for the camera in “Driving Lessons.”
And if the sixth Potter book offers any hints of Ron’s fate, it looks like he’ll be doing a little onscreen smooching again. (If not, I’ll be more than happy to substitute, Rupert …)
Are you looking forward to onscreen “Potter” kisses?
I’m a little bit cautious. There was a scene in “Driving Lessons” with a kiss, and it’s kind of strange, with the crew watching and all that. I don’t know if I’m looking forward to that part.
In a lot of ways Rupert’s the shyest of his Potter counterparts. He’s a little sheepish, admitting he still hasn’t gotten used to the limelight.
What’s the craziest thing a fan has ever done around you?
I don’t know, really. When we went to Japan, they were sort of crazy anyway. All that bowing and that sort of thing, it was really quite strange. It’s really quite strange, getting recognized. I still haven’t gotten used to it.
With his cautious attitude, it doesn’t look as if Rupert will follow in the steps of Daniel Radcliffe (who plays Harry Potter). He recently ended his role in a London production of “Equus,” in which he appeared stark naked onstage.
Do you see yourself taking a role or doing something as extreme as what Dan’s done in “Equus”?
Well, it’s really a bold thing to do. I can’t see … or, I don’t think I could really do it. It takes a lot of guts. It’s not the same thing, but I did a few school plays. It really is exciting, and you do get quite a buzz, but I don’t know. It’s quite gutsy, so not for a while anyway.
Rupert said he’s close with Dan, Emma and the rest of the cast, but when filming is over, they’ve usually had their fill of one another. He does, however, golf with the twins who play his older brothers, Fred and George.
When he’s not filming, Rupert said, he considers himself a relatively normal teen with a few exceptions, one of which is his pimpin’ ride.
What’s one thing people don’t know about you?
I’ve recently got an ice cream van. I’ve always had an interest in that career, being an ice cream man. It’s really cool, a big freezer in the back … It’s all fully stocked up, and I’m ready to serve.
Rupert, if you’re out there, reading: You’ve got one fan in Missouri who’ll eat just about any ice cream you’d serve.
Even the kind with those gross bubblegum eyeballs.
***
The "reporter" is a junior at the University of Missouri, and interns for TeenStar. She's one of Rupert's biggest fans (of the true-blue category), so this interview is a fun read. |