The Actor Who Played Dudley Dursley in ‘Harry Potter’ Is Unrecognizable Now
Harry Melling played Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter film franchise, but these days, Potterheads seem to be having a difficult time spotting the actor onscreen—not because he left Hollywood, but because he looks so different!
Melling stars in three Netflix films that released this year, during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic: The Old Guard, alongside Charlize Theron; The Devil All The Time; and The Queen's Gambit.
In a People interview published Saturday (October 24), the actor opened up about his recent roles, as well as not getting recognized for playing one of the Harry Potter film series' most iconic characters.
"I hope people don't get bored of seeing me," he told the outlet in reference to his new movies. "But honestly it's just a great, strange coincidence that unfortunately, people can't get out and so they're relying on Netflix. So it's been a really strange and wonderful happening, the fact that these shows have all had this strange COVID life almost."
Although he is nearly unrecognizable from his days as Dudley Dursley, Melling appreciates his transformation and doesn't mind not always being recognized for his most famous role.
"I think it was an unconscious thing when it started to happen," he said of his weight loss. "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," he admitted. "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."
See an updated photo of Melling, below.