Rupert Grint Says Seeing Someone Else Play Ron Weasley Was Surreal 

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Rupert Grint originated the role of student wizard Ron Weasley in 2001’s

and spent almost a decade playing the character in seven more movies. So, how weird was it for Grint to see actor Paul Thornley portray Weasley when he went to see the play

“I wasn’t really prepared for it,” he says. “It hit me quite hard. It was kind of like an out of body experience. You’re seeing someone else take on a character that you’ve known for so long. I kind of grew up

Ron. I do feel like a lot of me is in that character. I have a weird relationship with Ron, where it’s kind of basically

. And seeing it live on is very surreal. But it’s an amazing show. I actually loved it. It blows your mind to see this magic world on stage live in front of you. It’s amazing. It just shows how clever J.K. (Rowling) is to be reinventing it and making it live on in something different. It’s amazing.”

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