Rupert Grint has spoken candidly about the death of Robbie Coltrane and explained his reasons for not attending the funeral.
The actor, who shot to fame at just 11 years old for his role as Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise, revealed that he did not attend the Scots actor's funeral. Grint, 34, said that while losing Robbie was 'particularly tough' he didn't attend the funeral and said: "I don’t claim to know him outside work."
The Scots actor sadly passed away aged 72 in October last year. According to Robbie's death certificate, he died from a string of conditions including multiple organ failure with other causes listed including diabetes, obesity and sepsis.
After Coltrane’s passing last year, Grint penned a heartfelt tribute to the actor on Instagram, calling him: "A giant-hearted man who was still looking out for us, decades later."
In a lengthy post, the actor wrote: "Heartbroken to hear that Robbie is gone. I’ll never forget the smell of cigars and beard glue- a wonderful combination. No one else on this planet could of played Hagrid, only Robbie. Just as Hagrid was in the books and films Robbie was in life- warm, compassionate, and hilarious."
"A giant-hearted man who was still looking out for us even decades later. Sending love to his family. See you on the other side Bobser," he concluded.
The actor was just 13 when Richard Harris – who played Dumbledore in the first two movies – died. Speaking to GQ Hype, Grint said the news was ‘hard to contemplate’ at such a young age.
"I was 13, in a hotel promoting the second movie, when I was told [about Harris’ death]," he said. "It was a hard thing to contemplate."
Grint also had a close relationship with Alan Rickman who played Snape and died of cancer in 2016. When Grint made his Broadway debut in 2014, in it’s Only A Play, Rickman was in the audience.
Speaking of his late colleagues as ‘family’, saying: "Not parents, but uncles or grandparents. They all had this kind of subconscious presence in my life."
“They weren’t the kind of people to sit you down and give you a formal talk, or dispense advice,” he added to the publication. “But I loved being around them and observing them.”
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