Rupert Grint recently spoke about his long friendship with Matthew Lewis [who plays Neville Longbottom] in the Independent, chronicling how they met on the first Harry Potter movie to the end of the franchise 10 years later.
Emma Watson with Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint at the premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Grint first says, “When we started filming the Potter films, we had all left school and were with one another for long periods of time. Friendships tend to emerge in that environment in an intense way.” He talks about his first bonding session with Matt, saying, “Going to a WWF [wrestling] match up in Newcastle was one of our first bonding sessions – afterwards we went to McDonald's with Dan [Radcliffe] and went crazy with fries, sticking them in our ears. I'm not sure me, Matt and Dan could go there together like that now.
He also talks about the change in Matt’s image, saying, “Even in the fourth film, poor Matt still had some crappy fat suit, prosthetic teeth and things to make his ears stick out, so people thought that was how he looked, but underneath he had changed. For me, that contrast was clearest in the final film, when he did this big speech in a courtyard and you thought, "Where did that come from?" It was a great moment.” He continues, adding, “I noticed, too, the change in public awareness – overnight he became a sex symbol and it was nice for Matt to have his moment. He gave me a bit of stick with the kissing scenes with Emma, though, as back in the day he had a little thing with her.”
Emma Watson when she was younger
It’s not clear whether he means that Matt and Emma had ‘a thing’ or Matt had ‘a thing’ for Emma. We’ve always known that Emma used to have a crush on Tom Felton when she was younger after she admitted it two years ago, but it’s news that Matt Lewis ever dated, or wanted to date, Emma Watson.
Matthew Lewis interview for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
