Rupert Grint felt overwhelmed in "Harry Potter" 1:09
(CNN) --
Rupert Grint found fame playing Ron Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise as a teenager, but it wasn't always easy.
"'Potter' was so full of — [filming] all year, then promotions the rest of the time," said the actor, now 34, in a recently published interview with Bustle.
"It was pretty stifling."
These days, Grint is enjoying a bit of an acclaimed
second act
in his career, with roles in M. Night Shyamalan's Apple+ series "Servant" and another Shyamalan project, the feature film "Knock at the Cabin."
Robbie Coltrane, beloved for playing Hagrid in Harry Potter and long acting career, dies
Grint told Bustle that he wasn't initially sure he wanted to continue acting after "Harry Potter."
“I wanted a break, to reflect on everything… It was an out-of-body experience for a while, but I think we ended at the right time,” he said.
"If we continued, it could have gone downhill."
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Grint was 11 years old and acting on the British stage when he landed the role of Ron, and 22 when the franchise ended.
He had so many similarities to Ron's character, including the same initial and both having red hair, that it was hard for him to separate the character's life.
“I was having a hard time being seen, I was feeling overshadowed,” he said.
“In the movies, we merge into one,” Grint told the publication.
“In the end, he was playing myself.
The lines were blurred."
Still, he's grateful for the role, saying being a part of the "Harry Potter" experience with his co-stars Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson was "really unique that only we, the core group, really know about."
“If someone calls me Ron, I answer,” Grint said.
"He is my middle name."
Harry Potter