Rupert Grint is using his Harry Potter fortune to follow his unbelievable childhood dream

Rupert Grint shared that he used his Harry Potter fortune to chase his childhood dream job. Rupert Grint struck gold early in life with his role in the Harry Potter series. And we’re talking serious cash here—his net worth is estimated to be around $50 million. Before landing their roles in the Harry Potter films, Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson were just everyday kids. But by the time they turned 18, they were all set for life. 

At 35, Rupert Grint may have earned the least among the film's famous "golden trio," but he's far from being strapped for cash. Estimates vary, but it's believed that the star made around $37 million for his role as Ron Weasley across all eight Harry Potter films. According to Cosmopolitan, the trio still earns royalties from the series, boosting their bank accounts. So, how does someone spend tens of millions of pounds? For Grint, it meant going after his childhood dream—and it’s not what you’d expect.

So, what has the former child star splurged on? Believe it or not, it's an ice cream truck. It’s not shocking, though—after all, his co-star Daniel Radcliffe bought a $5,000 car despite being a millionaire. As the story goes, Rupert Grint purchased the ice cream truck while still filming the Harry Potter movies. He even showed up on the final day of filming in it! Grint has shared that his very first dream job was to be an ice cream truck driver. 

At first, Grint would drive the truck around just for fun. But after seeing kids’ faces drop when they realized they couldn’t buy ice cream from him, he decided to keep it fully stocked to avoid any disappointment, according to the Daily Star.

In 2014 Rupert Grint shared a funny yet awkward moment from the early days of owning his ice cream truck. “My first ambition was to become an ice cream man, which is why I bought the Bedford van,” Grint explained. “Not long after I first got it, pulled into a pub to do a U-turn and there were eight kids with their pocket money out, hoping to buy a 99 or whatever." To avoid any future disappointment, Grint makes sure his van is always stocked. "It’s got a real machine that serves Mr Whippy ice cream, and I buy my lollies wholesale—for a tenner—so I never run out," he added.

Grint went on to share more about his ice cream adventures: "I tend to avoid July and August, but the rest of the year, I’ll drive around the local villages. If I spot kids who look like they need ice creams, I’ll pull over and hand them out for free." He added, "The kids will ask, 'Aren’t you Ron Weasley?' And I’ll just say, 'It’s strange, I get that a lot.'" These days, Grint's focus has shifted from ice cream to parenthood. He and his girlfriend and actress Georgia Groome, welcomed their first child in May 2020—a daughter named Wednesday G. Grint.