Twenty-six years after the release of the books, the movies based on the iconic seven-part novel series, Harry Potter continues to have aftereffects on many from the Potterhead community. What started as a novel to bring author J.K. Rowling out of her slump, ended up becoming her most prized possession, and a lifelong worth of entertainment for others.
Based primarily on the fictional world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the story revolves around the lives of three friends, Harry, Hermoine, and Ron, who live in a magical world, with Harry getting involved with the one villain present throughout the seven series, Voldemort. Unless you have spent your entire life living in the deep ocean trenches, there is no way you do not already know the entire story etched in your memory.
The movie became a phenomenon for millions around the world, and the actors playing the characters in the movies ended up becoming our best friends for a while. While one could go on forever stating what they loved about the movie, two things that everyone could agree on would include the fact that the movie managed to bring alive a whole another universe in front of our eyes, keeping in mind the tiniest details, and the second thing that was perfect about the movies was its cast.
Even though at the time actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes, and so many more brought alive their characters and made the entire movie seem so real and tragic. It has been almost two decades since the release of the first movie, and the cast seemed to have moved on and aged a bit.
If you are curious to find out what the main cast of the grand film looks like now, then continue scrolling till the end.
Harry Potter Cast Then & Now
Daniel Radcliffe
Actor Daniel Radcliffe might have reached the peak of his acting career with his first-ever role. He is best known for playing Harry Potter, throughout the seven series, and fans who have seen the movies in chronological order might as well have seen the young boy transform into a grown teen.
The young chosen one has definitely moved on from his Harry Potter phase, with fans spotting him in movies of such different genres like, Victor Frankenstein, Horns, What If, The Lost City, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story among many others. The thirty-three-year-old seems to be doing his best to shake off the young Harry image.
Emma Watson
Presently Emma Watson does not feel all that different from her character of Hermoine Granger in the Harry Potter movies. The actress has grown up to be just as outspoken, confident, and well-read, as the latter in the films. It might have been these innate qualities of the actress that may have helped her bring Hermoine alive, to an extent that it is almost impossible to imagine any other actress playing the role.
It has been confirmed by Watson herself that after the end of the last movie, she ended up going back to school, studying at Brown University to get her Bachelor’s in English Literature, which is definitely something you would expect of her.
Since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two, the actress has starred in movies like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the live-action series of The Beauty and The Beast, and the classic, Little Women among others.
Rupert Grint
Harry’s Ride or Die, his best buddy throughout the series who faced every one of Harry’s struggles together with him, Ron Weasley was played by actor Rupert Grint, also was Hermoine’s love interest in the movies and books. Since the wrap of the movies, fans may have seen him in movies like Charlie Countrymen, Moonwalkers, Sick Note, Servant, and very recently in the film, Knock at the Cabin.
The actor also got married to actress Georgia Groome and the happy couple had their first child in 2020.
Tom Felton
The iconic evil bully, who did so much wrong but fans gave him a pass because he was first just a kid, and then he was way too good-looking to criticize. Tom Felton’s character, Draco Malfoy was present in all of the movies but only for a few minutes at most. Even so, the character was impactful and memorable considering how Draco turned out to be by the end.
This was not the young actor’s first role and definitely not the last as he was spotted in Rise of the Planets of Apes just after. But the actor has stuck to doing small-budget independent films or shows for the most part including, Ophelia, Braking for Whales, The Forgotten Battle, Save the Cinema, Burial, and the list goes on.
Matthew Lewis
Young and meek Neville Longbottom also found friends at Hogwarts, and popularity for finally showing courage at the end. Actor Matthew Lewis also seemed to have peaked with his character in the Harry Potter series, as the actor now finds himself doing theatre and films enjoying mild success.
The actor was seen in Me Before You, Our Boys, Death in Paradise, All Creatures Great and Small, and a few others.
(Left) and Now (Right) (Credits: Getty Images)
Evanna Lynch
Another quirky character that had something about her which left people speechless, quite literally, was played by actress Evanna Lynch. Since her character of Luna Lovegood saw the end, the actress has done a lot and continues to have a lot on her plate.
You may have spotted her in movies like GBF, My Name is Emily, and Dancing with the Stars, where she was placed third. She found herself working for PETA, and advocating for the Save the Asian Elephants campaign. The actress also has paved a way for herself in the podcast world, hosting The Chickpeeps and JustBeings. She also launched her own beauty line called Kinder Beauty Box.
Robert Pattinson
Though the actor featured in just one movie, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the actor managed to leave quite an impact on fans, with many hoping for his return though that was impossible. But this is not the only role that has stuck with the actor’s image, as he went on to do the Twilight series, which ended up skyrocketing his success even more, though we are not sure the actor enjoyed it all that much.
The actor has since leaving these two franchises done a bunch of critically acclaimed films like Water for Elephants, Remember Me, The Lighthouse, The Lost City of Z, Tenet, and the very recent one, Batman.
We have compiled a short list of actors among the deep plethora that you might have been curious about. Let us know which transformation shocked you the most.
Also Read: Malcolm in the Middle Cast Then And Now
