Actor Rupert Grint shared that he used his Harry Potter earnings to chase his childhood dream job.
Before being cast in the leading roles of J.K. Rowling’s wizarding franchise film adaptations, actors Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, and Emma Watson were just ordinary kids.
By the time they turned 18, the trio was set to become millionaires. The subsequent Harry Potter films earned enough to ensure they could comfortably live for the rest of their lives.
At 35, Grint is the lowest-earning member of the film’s ‘golden trio,’ but he’s certainly not lacking in funds.
Reports vary on the total earnings for the Knock at the Cabin star across all eight films, but it’s estimated that he made around £37 million for his role as Ron Weasley.
It’s also believed that the trio continues to earn royalties from the Harry Potter series, providing a substantial boost to their earnings, according to Cosmopolitan.
So, how does one spend tens of millions of pounds? In Grint’s case, he chose to invest in pursuing his childhood dream.
And it’s something you’d never have guessed.
It turns out that Grint used his fortune to buy an ice-cream van, which was his childhood dream job.
In a 2014 interview with the Daily Mail, Grint revealed this quirky trivia, explaining that he keeps the van stocked with frozen treats after once disappointing a group of children.
“Not long after I first got it, I pulled into a pub to do a U-turn, and there were eight kids with their pocket money out, hoping to buy a 99 or whatever,” he said.
“But I had nothing to give them. I’ve learned my lesson since then.”
Grint added that he keeps the van ‘well stocked’ with a machine that dispenses Mr Whippy ice cream and various ice lollies.
He continued: “I tend to avoid July and August, but for the rest of the year, I’ll drive around the local villages. If I see kids who look like they could use an ice cream, I’ll pull over and give them out for free.”
“They’ll say, ‘Aren’t you Ron Weasley?’ And I’ll reply, ‘It’s strange, I get asked that a lot.'”
So there you have it—next time you see an ice-cream van pull into your local park, you might just be getting an ice cream from Mr. Ronald Weasley himself.
