Where The Harry Potter Cast Are Now: The Surprising Jobs They're Doing

Jan 09, 2024

Accio unexpected career trajectories.

Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter His face will forever be synonymous with the bright-eyed 11-year-old who read his Hogwarts letter next to an adorably misspelled birthday cake in a dank shack, but Daniel Radcliffe has since made his mark on the film industry in some impressively varied roles. In fact, he's actually proved to be quite the comedian, having starred in several lighter films including rom-com What If alongside Zoe Kazan, and Guns Akimbo with Australian actor Samara Weaving. He also branched out into theatre, where his Broadway show Equus saw him bare all (as in literally everything...) on stage. More recently, Radcliffe starred in comedy series Miracle Workers, The Lost City and Digman!. But Radcliffe has also had some exciting updates in his personal life, as he and girlfriend Erin Darke have revealed that they're expecting a baby.

Emma Watson - Hermione Granger English rose Emma Watson has had a whirlwind career in film over the past decade. She scored the lead role in the live action remake of Beauty And The Beast, she dabbled in voice work in the animated film The Tale of Despereaux, and she's made her mark on several independent films including The Bling Ring. Most recently, Watson took on the role of Meg March in Little Women. But perhaps more notable than her successful portfolio in the entertainment industry is her activism and advocacy for women's rights. As a UN Goodwill ambassador, Watson has travelled to developing countries to promote education for girls. She's also advocated for gender equality before the United Nations as it launched the campaign, HeForShe, and she made the TIME 100 list of the world's most influential people in 2015 for her extensive activism for women's rights. More recently, she's also turned her attention to climate change—in October, Watson attended the Earthshot Prize Awards in London to celebrate the achievements of those working to find viable solutions to global warming. The event marked the first time she'd attended a red carpet in two years, and she aptly chose a stunning ensemble made from an upcycled wedding gown, designed by Harris Reed. The following month, she was among 400 signatories in a letter to the UK government at the COP26 conference calling for women to be included in "decision-making roles".

Rupert Grint - Ron Weasley Rupert Grint's career since the Harry Potter films wrapped has been a little more low-key compared to Radcliffe and Watson's. Gloriously, Grint fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming an "ice cream man" by buying his own ice cream truck with some of his Harry Potter earnings. But quirky childhood dreams aside, Grint also stuck around in the film and television industry—he starred in comedy thriller Wild Target, as well as CBS television show called Super Clyde. He also starred alongside his Potter co-star Julie Walters once again in the film, Driving Lessons. In a final twist that gives his ice cream truck purchase a run for its money, Grint and actor Georgia Groome began dating in 2011, though due to their extremely private nature, literally no one knew about it. To the surprise of his fanbase, Grint confirmed he and Groome had welcomed a baby girl named Wednesday G. Grint via Instagram in 2020. Oh, and in case you're wondering why Groome's name rings a bell, she was the star of the cult teenage film, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging.

Maggie Smith - Professor Minerva McGonagall Maggie Smith was famous long before the Harry Potter films, but her face became all the more iconic after she portrayed the genius Professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts. In recent years, Smith has become just as synonymous with her character Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in the popular television series Downton Abbey, and has reprised her role in the show's two sequel films.

Harry Melling - Dudley Dursley There's no mistaking Harry Melling's face—while his role as the spoilt cousin of Harry Potter will be attached to him forever, he's proved his talent in several major productions including action-film The Old Guard alongside Charlize Theron, and he played the on-screen love interest to Anya Taylor-Joy in the hit Netflix show, The Queens Gambit.Most recently, Melling has taken on the role of the young Edgar Allen Poe in The Pale Blue Eye.

Robert Pattinson - Cedric Diggory Behind Radcliffe, Robert Pattinson might just take the cake as one of the world's most famous book-to-screen actors. The actor scored the lead role in the Twilight films in which he starred alongside Kristen Stewart. He later moved into more serious films including the 2020 Christopher Nolan mindbender Tenet, and as Batman in The Batman in 2022. Robert Pattinson has been dating Suki Waterhouse since 2018.

Alan Rickman - Severus Snape Alan Rickman's portrayal of greasy potions master Snape was next to none and his loyal fanbase only grew following his spectacular performance in the Potter series. While he dabbled in several other smaller films in subsequent years, including 2014's A Little Chaos and 2015's Eye In The Sky, Rickman sadly passed away in January 2016 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Gone, but certainly never forgotten.

Bonnie Wright - Ginny Weasley Ginny Weasley's book persona was confident and kick-ass—her IRL counterpart Bonnie Wright? She lives and breaths that very brand. After starring in all eight Harry Potter films, she dabbled in several other acting gigs, but her real passion lay in directing and producing, which she now does. She's released several eye-opening videos and short films based around climate change and sustainability, and she shares a lot of her via her Instagram page, found here.

Alfred Enoch Alred Enoch is best known for playing Dean Thomas in Harry Potter but since then, the British actor has starred in a number of big films and television series. Most recently, Enoch starred in the 2022 romantic comedy This Is Christmas with Kaya Scodelario. He has also had major roles in How to Get Away with Murder, The Picture Of Dorian Gray and Foundation.

Evanna LynchAfter playing the quirky Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter series, Evanna Lynch has been busy acting, writing and creating. In 2021, Lynch released her memoir chronicling her experience with an eating disorder titled The Opposite Of Butterfly Hunting*. Lynch is also the co-founder of sustainable beauty organisation Kinder Beauty Box, and most recently starred in the theatre production of Under The Black Rock and the short film Bus Girl*.

Matthew Lewis Since playing Neville Longbottom, Matthew Lewis has continued to pursue acting. Most recently, Lewis has starred in the All Creatures Great and Small TV series, as well as Ripper Street, Baby Done and Terminal. Lewis married Angela Jones in 2018, who he met while attending an event at the Wizarding World Of Harry Potter in 2016, where Jones organised VIP events.

James and Oliver Phelps Since playing Fred and George Weasley, James and Oliver Phelps have continued to work on film projects together. Most recently, they starred in the psychological thriller Last Night in Soho. The twins have also collaborated on the travel show Fantastic Friends, where they travel the globe to meet guests and take on interesting challenges.

Jess Pullar is the Culture Editor (digital) for ELLE and marie claire Australia.