Time really flies, especially when you're flying high on a broom.
We're reminded of that during flashback scenes in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the hotly anticipated fifth film to be adapted from author J.K. Rowling's blockbuster book series. But if it feels weird to us seeing Harry (Daniel), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) looking so young again, think about the reality check it presents to the film's stars.
"You get a glimpse of the early films on TV here and there, but it is quite strange seeing the flashbacks in the film because it doesn't feel like it's been that long," Grint said in an @ The Movies interview Monday. "It's been seven years now since we've started making the films, and we've changed quite a bit."
Harry, Ron and Hermione are coming of age at just the right time in "The Order of the Phoenix," which is undoubtedly the darkest film in the film series thus far. With Harry's mind being tortured by the return of Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and the Ministry of Magic imposing strict rule over Hogwarts, the trio of friends must rely on themselves to form Dumbledore's Army with other willing students to fend off the evil that lurks.
Just like Radcliffe, Grint is thrilled over venturing into darker and darker territories with each book, simply because it presents him with an opportunity in a handful of films that some actors struggle to achieve their entire careers: a broad character arc.
"It's been amazing. Because the characters grow up throughout the books, they change with each film," said Grint, who'll turn 17 in August. "It's been really good fun."
But with each changing moment with the character, Grint said he keeps at the top of his mind the responsibility he's felt from the very beginning with "The Sorcerer's Stone."
"The responsibility was more so apparent in the first one because I had never done anything like it. I had only done school plays," Grint said. "But since the books are so big and everyone has an idea of who their Harry, Ron and Hermione are, you're always feeling the pressure a little bit. Over the years I've become more adjusted to it because people have gotten used to us. Plus, since the films are becoming bigger and better, it's becoming more and more fun."
A fan himself of the "Harry Potter" books long before he became one of the prominent cast members in the film series, you can just about imagine how excited Grint is about the pending release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" as much as the average book fan. And like his fellow readers, Grint is waiting with baited breath to see how the final story in the saga plays out.
"It's quite exciting, yes, since we know that two people are going to die," Grint said. "I'm definitely looking forward to it. It's going to be quite tempting to flip to the end to see what happens."
The interesting thing is, while Ron is definitely one of the characters at risk of dying in " The Deathly Hallows," Grint is amazingly laid back at the prospect of his character's feature film demise.
"I wouldn't really mind if that was the case, because, at the end of the day, it is the last book," Grint said. "It would be quite cool because it would probably be a really cool scene. But I've got a funny feeling that he's going to survive and it will be someone else. Plus, Ron's got the whole Hermione thing as well."
The "Hermione thing," for those who haven't read the sixth book "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," is a blossoming relationship between the two that expands beyond the good friends realm.
And even though Harry has finally experienced his first kiss (with Cho Chang) in "The Order of the Phoenix," the whole idea of Ron and Hermione doing the same for the next film is already hanging over the actors' heads.
"I think it's going to be quite an awkward moment because we've known each other for so long now," Grint said. "We're sort of like family so it will be strange. We'll have to wait and see."
Like Radcliffe, Grint took the opportunity between "The Goblet of Fire" and "The Order of the Phoenix" to get his feet wet with other projects. But while Radcliffe went the high-profile route with the sensually-charged stage play "Equus," Grint kept things a bit more under the radar with the independent comedy-drama "Driving Lessons," where he starred, ironically, opposite his "Potter" movie mom, Julie Walters.
Grint said that he wasn't necessarily looking for a "non-Ron"-type role in his first starring role away from the "Potter" series, it just happened to work out that way.
"'Driving Lessons' was really good fun because it was just so different," Grint said. "The 'Harry Potter' films take about a year to make and 'Driving Lessons' took about six weeks. It was low budget, but a good experience."
Of course, Grint isn't about to abandon Ron just yet. The actor and his fellow core cast mates have signed on to do "The Half-Blood Prince," due in 2008, and marching headlong into "The Deathly Hallows," which is set for a 2010 release.
