Harry Potter movies were one of the most anticipated releases between 2001 and 2011, bringing our favorite characters into the big screen and amassing $7.7 billion worldwide, combining all eight films’ box office numbers.
With all the time needed to produce each film, it’s inevitable to see changes between characters as the series ends.
We saw Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint grow in the spotlight since they were barely preteens.
Other beloved actors dedicated a critical portion of their careers to the series.
But how old was the Harry Potter cast compared to their fictional counterparts?
It’s hard to believe that the principal three Harry Potter actors are all already in their 30s in 2022!!
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Ages
| Daniel Radcliffe | 11-12 years old | Harry Potter | 11-12 years old |
| Rupert Grint | 12-13 years old | Ron Weasley | 11-12 years old |
| Emma Watson | 10-11 years old | Hermione Granger | 12-13 years old |
| Tom Felton | 13-14 years old | Draco Malfoy | 11-12 years old |
| Matthew Lewis | 11-12 years old | Neville Longbottom | 11-12 years old |
| Bonnie Wright | 9-10 years old | Ginny Weasley | 10-11 years old |
Once Warner Bros confirmed that they got the rights to film Harry Potter, production for the first movie happened between September 2000 and July 2001, led by Chris Columbus.
In the Philosopher’s Stone, all students who start their first year at Hogwarts are between 11 and 12 years old, set in 1991.
Daniel Radcliffe’s birthday is on July 23, 1989, making him 11/12 years old when they cast him as Harry Potter in the Philosopher’s Stone. We meet Harry Potter when he is 10 years old and we are with him on his 11th birthday when he discovers he is a wizard.
Rupert Grint, born on August 24, 1988, was 12/13 years old when he portrayed Ron Weasley for the first time. Ron was 11/12 years old.
Since her birthday was on April 15, 1990, Emma Watson is the youngest of the Golden Trio at 10/11 years old during the Philosopher’s Stone. Hermione was 12/13-years-old, ironically making her the oldest of the three.
Bonnie Wright made her first appearance in a single scene alongside Ron’s family when she was only 9/10. Ginny would have been 10/11-years-old at that time, hence why she didn’t have a more prominent role in the movie.
Matthew Lewis was born on June 27, 1989, so he was 11/12-years-old when acting as Neville Longbottom for the first time. Neville was also 11/12-years-old.
The oldest of the Big Seven is Tom Felton, who was 13/14 years old when he filmed his interpretation as Draco Malfoy, introduced in the series as an 11/12-year-old boy.
Starring in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone changed the child actors’ lives and led them to an entire decade linked to their characters, as we will continue to explore further down our list.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
| Daniel Radcliffe | 12-13 years old | Harry Potter | 12-13 years old |
| Rupert Grint | 13-14 years old | Ron Weasley | 12-13 years old |
| Emma Watson | 11-12 years old | Hermione Granger | 13-14 years old |
| Tom Felton | 14-15 years old | Draco Malfoy | 12-13 years old |
| Matthew Lewis | 12-13 years old | Neville Longbottom | 12-13 years old |
| Bonnie Wright | 10-11 years old | Ginny Weasley | 11-12 years old |
For the second installment of the series, production spanned between November 2001 and July 2002.
Chris Columbus remained as the director for The Chamber of Secrets, and with a budget of 125 million dollars, it reached 878 million dollars in the grossed box office.
Here we get a better glimpse into Voldemort’s past and the strange incidents occurring inside Hogwarts.
As production followed quickly from the first film, the actors remain consistently close to the ages of the characters they are portraying.
In 2002, Daniel Radcliffe was the same age as Harry, both 12 years old for most of the Chamber of Secrets film, as Harry’s birthday is always one of the first things to happen in each Harry Potter installment.
Rupert Grint continues to be a year older than his character. The actor was 13/14 during filming while his character was 12/13 years old.
Emma Watson remains one year younger than her character during the Chamber of the Secrets filming. Emma is 11/12 years old, while Hermione is already 13 at the start of the school year as she has a September birthday.
Tom Felton has two years of difference with Draco since he is 14/15 years old during production, while his character is just 12/13 years old.
Given how he is in Harry’s generation, Neville Longbottom is 12/13 years old for the Chamber of Secrets. And just like Daniel, Matthew Lewis was also 12/13 years old during production.
Ginny Weasley gains significant relevance for the plot in the Chamber of Secrets. Bonnie Wright was one year younger than Ginny, as Bonnie was 10/11 years old during filming, while Ginny is supposed to be 11/12 years old.
An interesting fact about the Harry Potter cast is that Moaning Myrtle, who’s supposed to be the ghost of a 14-year-old girl, is portrayed by a 37-year-old woman. Her name is Shirley Henderson, and she reprises her role in the Goblet of Fire at 40.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
| Daniel Radcliffe | 13-14 years old | Harry Potter | 13-14 years old |
| Rupert Grint | 14-15 years old | Ron Weasley | 13-14 years old |
| Emma Watson | 12-13 years old | Hermione Granger | 14-15 years old |
| Tom Felton | 15-16 years old | Draco Malfoy | 13-14 years old |
| Matthew Lewis | 13-14 years old | Neville Longbottom | 13-14 years old |
| Bonnie Wright | 11-12 years old | Ginny Weasley | 12-13 years old |
The third movie was filmed between February and October 2003, while the theatrical release was in May 2004.
So, while the actors were aging consistently with their characters during filming, fans had to wait a little longer to enjoy the film.
This time, Chris Columbus stepped down from the role as director and worked as a producer, with Alfonso Cuarón as his replacement.
The story was set in 1993, and most student characters are in their third year of Hogwarts.
Daniel Radcliffe was already 13 years old when filming started Prisoner of Azkaban, making him the same age as Harry Potter, who is supposed to be 13/14 years old in 1993, when the film is set.
Rupert turned 15 while filming the Prisoner of Azkaban, making him more than a year older than Ron, who is just 13/14 years old in the film.
Emma is two years younger than Hermione during the filming of the Prisoner of Azkaban. Hermione turns 14 before the start on the school year, on 19 September, while Emma Watson was only 12/13 years old during filming.
Tom Felton is still the oldest of the main cast and turned 16 while recording his scenes. In contrast, Draco is only supposed to be 13/14 years old in this film.
Matthew Lewis turned 14 years old in 2003, which means he had the same age as Neville Longbottom, who is 13 going on 14 during the events portrayed.
Bonnie Wright turned 12 during Prisoner of Azkaban’s production, while her character Ginny is 12/13 years old during the film’s events.
This release also stars the new actor for Dumbledore, Sir Michael Gambon, who replaced Sir Richard Harris after his death in 2002. Other beloved characters like Sirius Black, portrayed by Gary Oldman, make their first appearance in this film.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
| Daniel Radcliffe | 15-16 years old | Harry Potter | 14-15 years old |
| Rupert Grint | 16-17 years old | Ron Weasley | 14-15 years old |
| Emma Watson | 14-15 years old | Hermione Granger | 15-16 years old |
| Tom Felton | 18-19 years old | Draco Malfoy | 14-15 years old |
| Matthew Lewis | 15-16 years old | Neville Longbottom | 14-15 years old |
| Robert Pattinson | 18-19 years old | Cedric Diggory | 17-18 years old |
| Bonnie Wright | 13-14 years old | Ginny Weasley | 13-14 years old |
Filming on the fourth movie began in June 2004 and finished in March 2005, ready for a November 2005 release. It was directed by Mike Newell, making him the first British director for the series.
With an estimated budget of 150 million dollars, it ended up getting almost 900 million dollars in box office revenues worldwide.
We get to see Harry deal with the Triwizard Tournament, where we have the memorable acting of Robert Pattinson as Cedric Diggory.
Age differences start to get slightly more noticeable between characters and actors.
Daniel Radcliffe turns 16 years old while recording Goblet of Fire, making him two years older than his fictional counterpart, who is 14/15 years old. But Daniel is still not old enough to legally enter the Triwizard Tournament.
Rupert got closer to becoming a legal wizard turning 17 during filming. In contrast to his character, he’s already 3 years older than Ron, who is 14/15 years old.
Emma Watson, at 14/15 years old, is still slightly behind Hermione, who turns 15 at the very start of the school year portrayed in the Goblet of Fire.
Tom Felton was already a legal adult at 18/19 years old during filming when Draco Malfoy should have been 14/15 years old for the Goblet of Fire.
Matthew Lewis was 15/16 years in 2005, making him just a year older than Neville in the scenes he portrays, who is meant to be 14/15 years old.
Bonnie Wright catches up with her character Ginny, as she is 13/14 years old during filming.
In this film, we also get to see Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort for the first time. He would continue to reprise his role for the remainder of the series.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
| Daniel Radcliffe | 17-18 years old | Harry Potter | 15-16 years old |
| Rupert Grint | 18-19 years old | Ron Weasley | 15-16 years old |
| Emma Watson | 16-17 years old | Hermione Granger | 16-17 years old |
| Tom Felton | 19-20 years old | Draco Malfoy | 15-16 years old |
| Matthew Lewis | 17-18 years old | Neville Longbottom | 15-16 years old |
| Evanna Lynch | 15-16 years old | Luna Lovegood | 14-15 years old |
| Bonnie Wright | 15-16 years old | Ginny Weasley | 14-15 years old |
The fifth movie in the Harry Potter cinematic universe was filmed between February and December 2006 and released in July 2007, the same time as the release of the seventh and final book.
On this occasion, the director switches to David Yates, who would direct the remainder of the movies until 2011. It managed to gross $942,172,396 worldwide during its entire run in theatres.
Harry’s fifth year in Hogwarts, right after Voldemort’s return, sets the more obscure tone for the Golden Trio’s fifth year in Hogwarts.
We also saw the introduction of characters like Luna Lovegood by Evanna Lynch, who even helped create some fashion accessories for her role.
Daniel Radcliffe was 17 when production for Order of the Phoenix started to film scenes and turned 18 during filming. Therefore, he is now a few years older than Harry, who is meant to be 15/16 during the film’s events.
In the fifth movie, Ron Weasley is 15/16 years old, but Rupert Grint is already 18/19 years old during the fifth film.
Hermione Granger is older than the rest of the students, turning 16 just a few weeks before the start of the school year. Emma Watson is one of the younger actors and was also 16/17 while filming.
Tom Felton is the first actor of the Big Seven to turn 20, in contrast to his character, who’s still 15/16 years old.
Matthew Lewis was 17/18 while recording his scenes for this movie, making him one year older than Neville, who is 15/16 years old.
Evanna Lynch got cast as Luna Lovegood and filmed her scenes when she was 15/16 years old, making her a year older than her character Luna who is 14/15 years old.
Bonnie was 15/16 years old during Order of the Phoenix’s production and is a year older than ginny, who is 14/15 years old.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
| Daniel Radcliffe | 18-19 years old | Harry Potter | 16-17 years old |
| Rupert Grint | 19-20 years old | Ron Weasley | 16-17 years old |
| Emma Watson | 17-18 years old | Hermione Granger | 17-18 years old |
| Tom Felton | 20-21 years old | Draco Malfoy | 16-17 years old |
| Matthew Lewis | 18-19 years old | Neville Longbottom | 16-17 years old |
| Evanna Lynch | 16-17 years old | Luna Lovegood | 15-16 years old |
| Bonnie Wright | 16-17 years old | Ginny Weasley | 15-16 years old |
The sixth movie in the Harry Potter saga started filming in September 2007 for a 2009 release, and David Yates reprises his role as the director.
It almost doubled its budget from the Order of the Phoenix with 250 million dollars, managing to collect 934 million dollars worldwide.
Harry finds a mysterious Potions book from the self-proclaimed Half-Blood Prince in this release. He continues his training with Dumbledore to find further information about Voldemort and how to defeat him.
The extended production times required for these darker and more complex films means that the age gap between the actors and the characters they play begins to widen considerably in the cases of older actors like Rupert Grint and Tom Felton.
Daniel Radcliffe was 18/19 years old while filming the Half Blood Prince, while his character is 16 years old for most of the film.
Rupert Grint was already 19/20 years old while filming the movie, while his character is also meant to be only 16/17 years old.
Hermione Granger is 17 years old in Half-Blood Prince, and Emma Watson was also 17/18 years old.
Tom Felton was already 20/21 years old for Half-Blood Prince when Draco Malfoy is only 16/17. That made him 4 years older than the fictional character.
Both Bonnie Wright and Evanna Lynch turned 17 during the filming of the Half Blood Prince, while their characters were still meant to be 15/16 years old.
While this isn’t uncommon in the movie industry to have older actors portray younger characters, the difference is barely noticeable on screen.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1)
| Daniel Radcliffe | 20-21 years old | Harry Potter | 17-18 years old |
| Rupert Grint | 21-22 years old | Ron Weasley | 17-18 years old |
| Emma Watson | 19-20 years old | Hermione Granger | 18-19 years old |
| Tom Felton | 22-23 years old | Draco Malfoy | 17-18 years old |
| Matthew Lewis | 20-21 years old | Neville Longbottom | 17-18 years old |
| Evanna Lynch | 18-19 years old | Luna Lovegood | 16-17 years old |
| Bonnie Wright | 18-19 years old | Ginny Weasley | 16-17 years old |
The much-anticipated ending for the saga was initially thought of as a single movie. However, the production split Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into two parts.
The movies were shot simultaneously between February 2009 and June 2010.
The first part was released in November 2010 and covered the last book until Chapter 24, when Voldemort regains the Elder Wand.
While many fans criticized the decision, almost all actors supported cutting the movie into two parts to correctly present the ending arc without rushing its pace or leaving out essential scenes.
Daniel Radcliffe was 20/21 years old when filming his scenes for The Deathly Hallows. In contrast, Harry became an adult in the wizarding world at just 17 years old, near the film’s start.
Rupert Grint was 21/22 as he was recording his scenes for this movie, making him 4 years older than Ron, who is 17/18 years old.
Emma Watson is just a year older than Hermione at this point. Emma is 19/20 years old, while Hermione is 18/19 years old.
Draco was supposed to be 17/18 years old for the first part of the final book, but Tom Felton was already 22/23 when filming his scenes.
Neville Longbottom is also 17/18 years old for the Deathly Hallows book, while Matthew Lewis is 20/21 when filming. That makes him three years older than his fictional counterpart!
For The Deathly Hallows, Evanna Lynch and Bonnie Wright are some of the few actors under 20. They are 18/19 years old, portraying characters who are 16/17 years old.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2)
| Daniel Radcliffe | 21 years old | Harry Potter | 17-18 years old |
| Rupert Grint | 22 years old | Ron Weasley | 17-18 years old |
| Emma Watson | 21 years old | Hermione Granger | 18-19 years old |
| Tom Felton | 23 years old | Draco Malfoy | 17-18 years old |
| Matthew Lewis | 22 years old | Neville Longbottom | 17-18 years old |
| Evanna Lynch | 19 years old | Luna Lovegood | 16-17 years old |
| Bonnie Wright | 20 years old | Ginny Weasley | 16-17 years old |
Finally, the eighth release wrapping up the Harry Potter saga was released in July 2011.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 earned $1.342 billion in box office revenues and was nominated for Best Makeup, Visual Effects, and Art Direction at the Oscars.
According to several interviews, the final day of filming was to record Daniel, Rupert, and Emma during the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts.
Since the filming of the two Deathly Hallows films happened simultaneously, the actors were the same age when filming both parts.
Fun fact, J.K. Rowling nicknamed these seven actors the Big Seven, given their fundamental role during the finale.
Daniel Radcliffe was 21 when the final film was released, though he had his 22nd birthday only a week later. In the film, before the final chapter, Harry is just a little shy of his 18th birthday during the final events.
Rupert Grint was 22 years old when the final installment of the films was released and also had his 23rd birthday not long after the release. Ron was 18 at the end of the film.
Emma Watson turned 21 in April 2011, ahead of the film’s release in July. Her character was 18 for the majority of the final film.
Tom Felton was 23 years old when The Deathly Hallows Part II was released, as he had not yet had his birthday. Nevertheless, he was 15 years older than Draco Malfoy, who is 18 during the final events of the film.
Since the movie was released in July 2011, Evanna Lynch was still 19 years old when the film was released, while Bonnie Wright had already turned 20. Both of their characters were 16/17 years old during the events portrayed in the movie.
Matthew Lewis was already 22 years old during the premiere of the final film, but his character was due to turn 18 on the same day as Harry.
Fun fact, there are only fourteen actors who appear in all eight movies:
- Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)
- Rupert Grint (Ronald Weasley)
- Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)
- Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)
- Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom)
- Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley)
- James Phelps (Fred Weasley)
- Oliver Phelps (George Weasley)
- Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid)
- Alan Rickman (Severus Snape)
- Warwick Davis (Filius Flitwick / Griphook the Goblin)
- Devon Murray (Seamus Finnigan)
- Josh Herdman (Gregory Goyle)
- Geraldine Somerville (Lily Potter)