After working on the eight movies over the course of 10 years, the Harry Potter cast was making pretty good cash. The stars of the film ended up raking in the doe, making millions. When they were first cast as children, it was hard to wrap their heads around that kind of financial security. They were asked as kids what they would do with their earnings and in true Hermione fashion, Emma Watson knew exactly how she’d handle her money. However, Rupert Grint’s adorably “Ron” answer takes the cake.
In 2000, a press conference was held with the young stars of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone where they were asked all sorts of questions about the movie franchise, and becoming movie stars as pre-teens. In a newly resurfaced Instagram clip, Daniel Radcliffe, Watson, and Grint were all asked during the conference what they would do with their actor salaries for the movie. Watson, who was 10 at the time, was adorably practical, saying:
I’m afraid I’m going to stick it in a bank until I’m 21.
This is a pretty smart response for such a young girl, who understood the major responsibility such a paycheck was at her age. Grint however had a much sillier take on the question, saying that his newfound wizard status made “Muggle” money confusing. The 12 year old said:
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Well speaking as a wizard, we are going to get paid Muggle money and I don’t really understand it.
For context, in the Harry Potter world, Muggles are what they call non-magical people. Grint’s response is its own brand of clever, knowing how to cutely answer a question he didn’t quite have the answer for. When he actually did get his hefty payday, Grint famously used it to buy an ice cream truck. He basically bought the thing that every child wishes they could, and made it a reality. I’m sure he saved up a lot of it as well, once he finally did understand “Muggle” money, but the fun purchases are always the most exciting to hear about.
The real question is, how much did the cast actually make for participating in eight Harry Potter movies? Apparently Radcliffe, who played the titular role, was paid between $145,000 and $1 million for the first film. That salary increased of course, and by the last two films, the Harry Potter actor was making $20 million per movie. Watson and Grint were also paid handsomely, each making $15 million a film by the end of the run. This doesn’t account for backpay, as the cast also continue to get checks in the mail from the numerous times the Harry Potter movies are played on TV or streamed.
If they all invested their money and kept it safe in a bank, as Watson claims was her intention, they all made the kind of cash that would allow them to never work again. However, they all decided to continue acting, as Radcliffe became a prolific stage actor and starred in movies like Swiss Army Man and The Lost City. Watson has been in films like Beauty and the Beast and Little Women, while Grint starred in the AppleTV+ series, Servant , and was a part of the Knock at the Cabin ensemble cast. Not bad for a bunch of Muggles.
