Harry Potter star Rupert Grint gets real about fatherhood: “It can be quite traumatising”
Rupert Grint opens up about the fear, isolation and identity shift that came with welcoming his daughters.
He may be best known as Ron Weasley in the beloved Harry Potter franchise, but these days Rupert Grint’s most important role is dad.
The 37 year old shares daughters Wednesday, five, and Goldie, 10 months, with long term partner Georgia Groome, and he’s now opening up about the reality of becoming a parent for the first time.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rupert admitted that while fatherhood is transformative, the early months were far more overwhelming than he expected.
“Those first few months can be quite isolating”
Rupert welcomed his first daughter, Wednesday, in May 2020. Reflecting on that period, he shared how fear quickly became a constant companion.
“The fear of the dangers and the baby getting hurt – something being not quite normal. I definitely had it with Wednesday,” he explained.
He described those early weeks as deeply emotional and, at times, confronting.
“Those first few months can be quite isolating. It’s a terrible feeling when it should be the most amazing thing, but it can be quite traumatising.”
It’s a sentiment many new parents quietly relate to – the pressure to feel pure joy, while managing exhaustion, anxiety and the enormous responsibility of keeping a tiny human safe.
“You’re worried at all times”
Rupert has previously spoken about how fatherhood shifted his mindset entirely.
In an interview with People, he admitted becoming “a bit of a hypochondriac” after Wednesday’s arrival.
“I think becoming a dad forces you to discover things, and now I’m a bit of a hypochondriac. Having a baby, you’re worried about her at all times. Everything seems dangerous.”
Sleep he revealed to Esquire was another challenge. “I don’t want to go too into detail, but the first night was just terrifying. You can’t sleep at all, just constantly checking that she’s breathing. Sleeping, in general, for me, is something I’ve really struggled with.”
A love like no other
Despite the anxiety, Rupert says becoming a dad changed him in the best possible way.
“It was something I never really had much of an idea of, that kind of love. It’s a very different love. It’s very strange. It definitely has kind of changed my perspective on things but also in a helpful way.”
He even joked that fatherhood sparked a mini identity crisis. “I struggle with that, being a dad. Has a bit of an identity crisis. I don’t know, do I change the way I dress now.”
Art imitating life
Rupert’s latest role in Nightborn, directed by Finnish filmmaker Hanna Bergholm, sees him play a new dad in a story that explores folklore and postpartum depression.
He revealed that the themes of fear and parental anxiety strongly resonated with his own experience of becoming a father for the first time.
For many parents, especially in those hazy newborn months, joy and fear often sit side by side. Rupert’s honesty is a reminder that even when it feels isolating, you’re never the only one navigating those complicated early days.
