Rupert Grint on “Moonwalkers” and the Continuing Potterverse

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Rupert Grint‘s latest film, Moonwalkers, hits US theaters on January 15, and the actor has been busy with lots of interviews. A recurring theme is his past role as Ron Weasley, though MTV News proclaims,

[…] [I]t seems like 2016 might just be the year that Grint busts out of Hogwarts and lands in Hollywood.

Moonwalkers, as MTV News describes it, is “a zany ’60s comedy that stars Grint as a down-on-his-luck band manager who teams up with a government thug (played by former ‘Sons of Anarchy’ star Ron Perlman), to fake the moon landing for the C.I.A.”

Rupert explains,

I just thought it was so ridiculous. It really at no moment takes itself seriously… I get to wear a space suit on the moon; my friend Robert Sheehan is in it. It just seemed like an easy yes.

According to POPSUGAR, fans can expect to see “a complete 180-degree turn from” his role as Ron Weasley. However, there are some similarities between Jonny, Grint’s character in the film, and Ron Weasley:

[Rupert’s] character does possess a few of Ron’s characteristics: he’s well-meaning, shows spontaneous moments of bravery, and sees things through until the end.

Because the film deals with the US Apollo 11 moon landing, Rupert was asked about his background knowledge of 1960s America before signing on to the film, to which he responded,

I went through a period of time when I was obsessed with the moon landing and especially the conspiracy theories [which speculated that it was fake]. Obviously, I believe that we definitely did go to the moon, but it’s quite an interesting alternative. We had a full moon set, and I was surprised by how easy it was to re-create everything. If it was that easy to do in our film . . . it could have been very possible to do back then.

He was also asked about what it was like to work with actor Ron Perlman:

It was terrifying. [Laughs] I was so intimidated and nervous to meet him — he’s Hellboy! But he was so sweet, so much fun, and so funny. You don’t equate him with comedy, but he’s hilarious. The scene of our characters tripping on acid took us hours to get through. We couldn’t hold it together.

Perlman will also appear in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, in which he will be playing a nightclub owner.

In the interview with POPSUGAR, Rupert comments on the constantly expanding wizarding world, saying,

It’s really kicking off, isn’t it? With the play [Harry Potter and the Cursed Child]. It’s amazing and quite surreal . . . to not be a part of it feels weird. I’m definitely gonna see the play. It’ll be interesting: it’s a great story in its depth, and I know it will translate well on stage.

Asked what sort of initiation ritual he might give Eddie Redmayne within the wizarding world for his starring role as Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts, Rupert replies,

A few hours on a broomstick, maybe, though I’m not sure if there’s any Quidditch [in the film].

After his interviewer suggests “some sort of Butterbeer drinking challenge,” he adds,

Yeah, or eating slugs.

In his interview with MTV News, Rupert was also asked about the “Ronbledore” fan theory (that Professor Dumbledore is a time-traveling Ron Weasley), to which he responded that he hadn’t heard about the theory before:

I will read [the theories]… that’s amazing. That’s fascinating. I hadn’t heard about it. I guess [it’s possible]. There’s a theory he’s traveled back in time? That’s kind of blowing my mind a little bit.

In addition to Moonwalkers, Rupert made a guest appearance on the first episode of Tracey Ullman’s Show on BBC One, which aired earlier this week. (UK viewers can watch the episode here.)

Moonwalkers will be released in theaters in the US on January 15.

Are you excited to see Rupert taking on more roles? Do you plan to see Moonwalkers? Let us know in the comments below!