"I can now shed the child-actor thing, like the fat, and start a new career, because no one sees me as Dudley"

Harry Melling's quote talks to the idea of shedding the past and beginning anew. As a child actor, Melling was known for his role as Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films. He is now an adult and is ready to carry on from his past and begin a brand-new profession. He is no longer viewed as Dudley, however as an adult actor with a new identity. He is ready to move on from the "child-actor thing" and the "fat" that he was understood for in his past role. He is all set to begin fresh and develop a brand-new career for himself. Melling's quote is a suggestion that it is possible to move on from the past and develop a brand-new identity for oneself. It is possible to shed the old and begin once again.