Robbie Coltrane compared young Harry Potter stars to his own children

Coltrane played Rubeus Hagrid across the fantasy film saga

Robbie Coltrane, the Scottish actor best known for playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter film saga has died aged 72, his agent confirmed Friday (14 October).

Last year, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Harry Potter franchise, Coltrane gave a touching interview in which he reflected on his relationships with fellow cast members, particularly the film’s youngest stars.

Daniel Radcliffe was only 10 years old when he first starred as the titular hero. Emma Watson played Hermione at 11 and Rupert Grint became Ron Weasley for the first time at age 12.

“Now, they’re big grown-ups with their own lives,” Coltrane said in 2021, acknowledging that Grint was now a father, too.

“Watching them growing up is kind of like watching your own kids grow up.”

In the interview, Coltrane remembers feeling “protective” of his young colleagues – a sentiment that was shared around the set. “Most of the crew were parents themselves so everyone was on their best behaviour.”

Robbie Coltrane and Alan Rickman with their young ‘Harry Potter’ co-stars (AFP via Getty Images)

Across eight films, Coltrane played Hagrid, the half-human, half-giant loveable gamekeeper who took Harry, Hermione, and Ron under his wing when they arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But in real life, Coltrane was the one marvelling at his scene partners.

“I was astonished at how fearless they were,” he said of those first overwhelming days on the film’s grandiose Hogwarts set. “I remember walking into the Great Hall – and I’d been doing this for 30 years – and thinking ‘Dear Lord, I better get this one right’.”

In the clip, he remembers that his co-stars were unfazed. “They were just kind of...” – Coltrane looks up, mimicking the youngsters’ lack of reaction – “the way kids do.”

Coltrane also spoke affectionately of Hagrid, the character he kept returning to throughout a decade of his life. “Everybody in the world would like a really big, huge, strong man on their side,” he said of his character’s appeal. “It’s as simple as that.”

Coltrane’s cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling and First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon were among the first to pay tribute to Coltrane via social media.