"Well, before I knew there was going to be a film, I was the biggest Harry Potter fan. I read all the books"
About this Quote
In the Harry Potter era, child performers were asked to sell a fantasy while also proving they weren’t cynical products of it. Grint’s “biggest fan” claim reads like preemptive defense against the suspicion that he got the role through polish or ambition. It’s also an appeal to the audience’s self-image. Fans want to believe the people inside the castle wanted in as badly as they did. When an actor says he read the books first, he’s offering a kind of handshake: I’m not above you; I’m one of you.
The line also hints at what Potter stardom demanded emotionally. If your job is to embody a cultural obsession, it helps to have once been obsessed yourself. Grint isn’t just narrating a backstory; he’s smoothing the uncomfortable fact that his childhood became a global brand by anchoring it in something recognizably human: private enthusiasm that predates the machine.
Quote Details
| Topic | Book |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Grint, Rupert. (2026, February 16). Well, before I knew there was going to be a film, I was the biggest Harry Potter fan. I read all the books. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/well-before-i-knew-there-was-going-to-be-a-film-i-164955/
Chicago Style
Grint, Rupert. "Well, before I knew there was going to be a film, I was the biggest Harry Potter fan. I read all the books." FixQuotes. February 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/well-before-i-knew-there-was-going-to-be-a-film-i-164955/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Well, before I knew there was going to be a film, I was the biggest Harry Potter fan. I read all the books." FixQuotes, 16 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/well-before-i-knew-there-was-going-to-be-a-film-i-164955/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.







