Harry Potter's quiet man talks Driving Lessons, didgeridoos, and why Ron Weasley's death would "be kind of cool."

Ask Laura Linney about Rupert Grint, her costar in the new Brit comedy Driving Lessons, and she'll smile. "I loved being around him," she said. "He's a very quiet, very modest, very gentle person." Meeting the flame-headed actor best known as Harry Potter's pal Ron, it's striking how little he seems like an internationally famous face and more like a slightly self-conscious teen who's into the Arctic Monkeys.

The British-born 18-year-old puts the awkward age to good use in Lessons. Grint plays a shy Londoner who likes to write poetry and is bossed around by his Bible-bashing mom. When he gets a summer job as a companion to potty actress Julie Walters (who plays his mom in the Harry Potter movies), his life turns upside down.

It's a tentative step outside the world of Potter, with its fanatics and feverish speculation about what will happen in the final book. It also indicates there's more to Grint than Ron. The actor told VH1 about losing his onscreen virginity, playing the didgeridoo, and why he's not afraid to die.

All the films you've made have been mega-blockbusters. What was it like doing a smaller movie?

It was kind of scary, because it's a much bigger part and such a different sort of atmosphere than what I'm used to from the Harry Potter films. The budget on Harry Potter is really big and we work in the studios with all these really expensive sets. In Driving Lessons, we just sort of went filming around London. There are no special effects. It was really simple, really. I quite like that way of working.

You've also done your first sex scene.

[Laughs] It's a bit nerve-wracking, because you've got the whole crew looking at you. The actress I did it with was older, so that helped quite a lot. The worst part is watching it back with your family. I don't think the actress was thinking, "Oh my God! I'm making out with Ron from Harry Potter." She was like 21! She was a lot more mature about it.

Do you think Ron will ever hook up with Hermione?

There are rumors going around, especially about the seventh book and what's going to happen between them. I don't know. It would be quite weird, actually. I'm not sure I'd be looking forward to it. Emma Watson's like a little sister to me. We've known each other for six years! It would feel kind of strange.

There's also a lot of talk about a character dying. Do you ever wonder if it might be you?

Yeah, you do think about it. I don't see it as really that bad because it's the last book anyway. Plus, no one really dies. You can come back as a ghost or something. It isn't like the end. I don't know if I'm ready for a big death scene. But it would be kind of cool!

You and Daniel Radcliffe are both big music fans. Who's your favorite group at the moment?

There are loads of really good bands at the moment. I really like Arctic Monkeys. I've got a few guitars, but I can't play. I can play the didgeridoo, actually. I'm not that good at it, really, although it's basically just blowing. What can you do with a didgeridoo? Not much. It's basically one sound. I can't remember where...

[C. Bottomley || VH1, 13 October 2006 || Original article found here]