Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Rupert Grint pays tribute to ‘Harry Potter’ dance partner Maggie Smith

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Rupert Grint is grieving the loss of Dame Maggie Smith but remembering her fondly.

The Harry Potter actor paid tribute to the two-time Oscar winner, who died at age 89 on Friday, in an Instagram post Saturday.

“Heartbroken to hear about Maggie,” Grint wrote. “She was so special, always hilarious and always kind. I feel incredibly lucky to have shared a set with her and particularly lucky to have shared a dance. I’ll miss you, Maggie. Sending all my love to her family. Rupert x.”

Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley in ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’.

Warner Brothers/courtesy Everett Collection


The actor costarred with Smith in all eight Harry Potter films between 2001 and 2011, as his Ron Weasley was constantly getting into trouble with her character, Gryffindor head and transfiguration professor Minerva McGonagall.

For his post, Grint used a still from their most memorable scene together in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in which McGonagall teaches Gryffindor students how to dance by forcing Ron to reluctantly partner with her during a demonstration. (It’s a tough job, but someone had to prepare those nerds for the Yule Ball.)

Grint has also used a photo of Smith kissing his cheek on the red carpet of the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premiere since he created his Instagram account.

The actor isn’t the only Weasley memorializing the late actress. Mark Williams, who played the red-haired family’s patriarch, Arthur, in seven of the eight Potter films, recalled a hilarious anecdote with the Downton Abbey star in a statement shared with Entertainment Weekly. “At one of the Harry Potter premieres (forget which) I decided not to wear a suit,” Williams said. “A tailor friend of mine dressed me in an outfit that included a very chic stripped blazer. Maggie spotted me, a gleam in her eye: ‘Have you just come from Henley?’ I never had the courage to wear it again.”

Rupert Grint in 2023; Maggie Smith in 2023.

Dave J Hogan/Getty; Karwai Tang/WireImage


Bonnie Wright, who played Ron’s younger sister, Ginny, in each installment of the series, also shared a sweet statement about Smith on Instagram. “Our dearly loved and revered head of Gryffindor house, you will be so missed by the Harry Potter community,” she wrote. “My favorite scene with Maggie was when we were all learning to dance for the Yule Ball. She embodied that perfect balance of sass and loving care that McGonagall has. She kept Gryffindors on their toes. My deepest condolences to Maggie’s family at this time.”

James Phelps, who played Ron’s older brother, Fred, in all eight Potter movies, posted a tribute to Smith on his Instagram story. “Very sad to hear the news today,” he wrote. “It was an honor to have been on the same sets as Dame Maggie Smith. On HP, she was always welcoming, funny, and also showed how to act not just on the set, but off too. My thoughts are with her family at this sad time.”

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Chris Rankin, who portrayed the character Percy in five movies, also memorialized Smith on social media. “There’s not many people in the world who were as brilliantly talented, waspishly sharp-tongued, funny, kind, or intimidating as Maggie Smith,” he wrote on Instagram. “I am truly lucky to have shared a film set with her. They don’t make them like that anymore.”

The family’s archnemesis Draco Malfoy also shared a heartfelt statement about Smith. Tom Felton, who played the sniveling Slytherin in every Potter film, wrote a tribute to the actress on Instagram. “Deeply saddened to wake up to the news of Maggie’s passing,” he said. “There quite simply was no one like her. Thank you for looking after us from literally day one. Thank you for not getting me kicked off the set when I couldn’t stop giggling during your transfiguration class. Thank you for showing us the way. Raise your wands.”

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