Harry Potter star looks unrecognisable as he stars in very racy movie that gets eight-minute standing ovation at Cannes
A HARRY Potter star looks unrecognisable in a VERY raunchy movie that went down so well at Cannes it got an eight-minute standing ovation.
Shooting to fame in the beloved franchise in 2001 aged just 12, he went on to appear in four more of the hit fantasy films – but can you guess who it is?
The actor in question is Harry Melling, now 36.
The movie and TV star first found fame playing bratty Dudley Dursley in the Potter film franchise.
In a far cry from his child star roots, Harry is currently starring in the raunchy film Pillion.
The movie is about a BDSM relationship between a gay biker and a parking attendant
The picture had its premiere this weekend at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, and went down extremely well.
In fact, critics loved Pillion so much they were on their feet applauding the movie for a whopping eight-minutes as the credits rolled, one of the longest standing ovations at the film festival.
The film follows the character of Ray played by Alexander Skarsgård and the introverted Colin (Harry).
The movie’s synopsis reads: “Colin, a timid man, meets Ray, a confident biker gang leader, who initiates him into a submissive relationship, challenging Colin’s mundane existence and prompting personal growth through their unconventional dynamic.”
BECOMING A STAR
Harry’s first ever role was as Dudley in the first Harry Potter movie in 2001.
In 2009, he then embarked on a stage career and moved into TV with a guest appearance on Merlin in 2010.
Following his role in Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows: Part One, he took a five-year break from films.
During this time, he enrolled in the LAMDA drama school to redefine himself as an actor.
In 2016, he returned to the big screen with a role in the Charlie Hunnam exploration epic The Lost City of Z.
Away from movies, Harry is also known for his work with Netflix, starring in The Old Guard, thriller The Devil All the Time, and The Queen‘s Gambit.
WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY
Harry previously revealed he is “hardly gets recognised these days” thanks to his weight loss.
The actor actually started shedding the pounds while he was still filming Harry Potter.
In fact, he lost so much weight that he was even close to being recast for his final film.
Instead, Harry revealed he had to wear a “fat suit” to keep his role.
Because of his slim physique, Harry confessed that few people now realise he once played Dudley in the hit films.
In an interview with People in 2020, he said that his weight loss wasn’t even intentional, but has enjoyed the surprise anonymity it brought him.
He explained: “I think it was an unconscious thing when it started to happen. I went to drama school when I was 18 and that’s kind of where the weight shifted, not for any sort of major need on my side, but it’s just something that just happened.
“And I’ve done a lot since drama school, went to do lots of theater. I think one of the blessings of that sort of stage in my life was the fact that I didn’t get recognized.
“I had this history of being part of the films, but also I felt like I had the opportunity to sort of cause a new start, which I think is useful.”