Rupert Grint Was Told He ‘Shouldn’t Exist’ as He Began Filming ‘Servant’ With M. Night Shyamalan
Rupert Grint is a talented actor who found success in his personal and professional life appearing as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter movies. Noting that he started as one of the biggest child stars in the world, Servant producer M. Night Shyamalan told Grint he “shouldn’t exist.”
Rupert Grint is one of the most successful child actors of all time
Grint took on the role of Ron Weasley in 2000, at the age of 12. He appeared in all eight Harry Potter movies, until the final one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released in 2011.
Leaving the franchise at 21, Grint appeared in a handful of films, including Into the White, Charlie Countryman, CBGB, and Moonwalkers. He also found success in television, starring in popular shows like Snatch, Sick Note, and ABC Murders.
Grint currently stars in M. Night Shyamalan and Tony Basgallop’s thriller series, Servant. His latest project, Knock at the Cabin, is also a psychological horror written and directed by Shyamalan.
M. Night Shyamalan said Rupert Grint ‘shouldn’t exist’ when they started filming ‘Servant’
Grint has flourished in both his professional and personal life after Harry Potter. Unlike several notable child stars, he’s never gotten into trouble. The actor is now a family man, as he and his long-time girlfriend Georgia Greene welcomed a daughter in 2020.
When talking to Bustle, Shyamalan praised Grint for his disciplined work ethic. And noting how kind and down-to-earth the actor is, he suggested Grint is an anomaly.
“I’ve said this to him: he shouldn’t exist,” Shyamalan said. “A child actor part of an almost religious IP. This renaissance, this second movement of his, shouldn’t be happening … He’s a person of such abandon to his character without any protective mechanisms. He has a connection to his emotions in a way that’s just pure.”
“He’s kind to everybody,” the director revealed. “He’s always on time. He’s super professional. It comes effortlessly to him. He’s just an unusual human being in every way. He’s truly become a wonderful actor. I defy you to find somebody that doesn’t have something good to say about him.”
Rupert Grint and M. Night Shyamalan have a ‘shorthand’ after working on ‘Servant’ and ‘Knock at the Cabin’
Grint started working with Shyamalan on Servant Season 1 in 2019. They’ve completed four seasons together. So by the time they started filming Knock at the Cabin, the actor and director already had an established rapport.
“We paused Servant briefly for a few weeks and then kind of made this in the middle of that,” Grint told Sky News. “So yeah, it all feels very much a kind of big family and I love working with Night, we get on really well and we do have this kind of shorthand. We know what we’re going to get with each other and it’s great.”
Knock at the Cabin opened in movie theaters around the country on Feb. 3. Season 4 of Servant is streaming on Apple TV+.
