Daniel Radcliffe was a tender 11-year-old when he was cast as the boy wizard in the first "Harry Potter" movie.
A decade after "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" entranced audiences, Hogwarts' final bell has rung for Radcliffe and his two co-stars, Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger).
The "Harry Potter" franchise -- seven books, eight movies, a theme park and related merchandise -- draws to an end of sorts on Friday, when the final movie installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2," hits theaters.
And like any graduates, the young actors must face the question: What's next?
The movies have been critical and financial successes, thanks in large part to the young stars who had the weight of a billion-dollar franchise on their shoulders, said Tim Ryan, senior editor at Rotten Tomatoes, a movie-review aggregation website.
"They have demonstrated they have the goods" to forge acting careers, he said.
"Potter" fans howled when the studio announced that 2007's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the final book in author J.K. Rowling's wildly popular fantasy series, would be split into two movies.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is the climax of the series-long struggle between Harry and the ultimate evil wizard, Voldemort. Nothing less than the fates of the wizarding and nonwizarding worlds -- not to mention Harry's life -- hang in the balance.
The loyal legions have waited since November, when "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1" was released, for the saga's conclusion.
In "Part 1," Harry, Ron and Hermione skipped their final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to search for horcruxes, magical objects that hold pieces of Voldemort's soul.
Harry also learned that Voldemort is seeking the Elder Wand, a wand that cannot be defeated.
As anyone who has read "Deathly Hallows" knows, "Part 2" includes the epic Battle of Hogwarts, which pits Voldemort and his followers against Hogwarts students, professors and magical creatures.
Stars should choose
next roles carefully
It's hard to guess whether Radcliffe, Grint and Watson will be forever typecast as a magical heroes, brainy and bossy, or comedic slackers. But if they want to avoid that fate, they need to be smart about which film roles they choose, Ryan said.
"There's no real obvious path to long-term success. It comes down to making the right choices," he said.
The website Movieline recently asked readers to vote on which "Harry Potter" star would be the most successful in the future. Writer Scott Harris predicted that Radcliffe's career could mirror those of Heath Ledger and Brad Pitt, and that Watson could go for roles played by Keira Knightley or Cate Blanchett.
Harris saw Grint as the up-and-coming Joseph Gordon-Levitt or John Cusack.
Or Radcliffe, Grint and Watson could explore artistic outlets besides acting. Stepping away from the big screen might be the best thing for them emotionally and for their careers, said Sean Phillips, executive producer of the Yahoo Movies and Yahoo Kids websites.
"Their opportunities won't disappear," Phillips said. "Overall, they need to figure out who they are without 'Harry Potter.' "
Of all the young "Harry Potter" stars, Radcliffe has been the most determined to prepare himself for an acting career outside of the fantasy series. In a crucial step toward serious roles, he appeared nude onstage a few years ago in a Broadway production of "Equus."
"It's good for us to know him as more than Harry Potter," Phillips said.
Currently, Radcliffe is back on Broadway starring as the promotion-hungry J. Pierrepont Finch in the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."
But he hasn't left film entirely. He will be seen in the supernatural thriller "The Woman in Black," set for a January release.
In true Hermione fashion, Watson seems poised to juggle her interests in education, fashion and acting. She modeled for the iconic British fashion house Burberry in 2009 and 2010.
This summer, she began filming the romantic drama "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (slated for 2012), in which she plays the love interest of a shy teenage boy. The film is an adaptation of a 1999 novel. This November, moviegoers will see Watson starring in "My Week With Marilyn," a drama that has Michelle Williams playing troubled actress Marilyn Monroe.
Watson seems the most determined to distance herself from her on-screen character and the most likely to branch out into another field, Phillips said.
"I don't know if it will be acting, but it will be something creative," he said.
Grint could become a natural character actor, Ryan said. With his expressive face and good-humor vibe, he would be terrific in a Simon Pegg movie like "Shaun of the Dead," he said.
Expect to see the redhead in two movies coming out this year, and two in 2012.
He'll star in the horror movie "Cross Country" and in "Eddie the Eagle," a British release that tells the story of England's first Olympic ski jumper. Both movies are slated for release this year.
In the low-budget Norwegian film "Comrade," English and German pilots who have been shot down must cooperate to survive a harsh Norwegian winter. That's scheduled for a 2012 release.
Grint turns back time again to 1939, when members of an English soccer team decide to enlist in World War II as a group in "Wartime Wanderers," also due next year.
He's not a member of the Inner Three, but Tom Felton made an impression as Harry's enemy Draco Malfoy. Felton will be seen in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (Friday, Aug. 5) and the 2012 horror film "The Apparition."
Veteran actors
still in demand
"Harry Potter" filled its supporting roles with the cream of the British acting corps, so actors such as Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes will have no trouble keeping a full dance card.
It was recently announced that Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) has been cast as Miss Havisham in a film version of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations." Director Mike Newell is expected to start filming in October.
Carter will be reunited with Fiennes, who will play the villain Magwitch; the project is being produced by BBC Films to mark the 200th anniversary of Dickens' birth in 2012.
Carter joins Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton in a movie version of the television camp classic "Dark Shadows," due in theaters next year.
Rickman (Severus Snape) will make the thriller "Gambit" with Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth, a project written by the Coen brothers. He'll also head to Broadway this fall, where Rickman will be in the world premiere of Theresa Rebeck's new play "Seminar."
Fiennes (Voldemort) directs and stars as the legendary Roman leader Coriolanus in a film adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name (December). Fiennes also returns as Hades in "Clash of the Titans 2" (March).
And what about the creator herself, J.K. Rowling? She's dropped hints about writing an encyclopedia of the wizarding world and relayed progress she's made on a children's book and an adult book.
This month, Rowling announced the creation of a new website, PotterMore.com, that will include electronic downloads and behind-the-scenes information about Harry's world when it launches in October.
While "Potter" fans keep busy sifting through the mounds of unpublished material to be posted on PotterMore, Radcliffe, Grint and Watson might retreat from the spotlight to grab back some of their truncated childhood, Yahoo's Phillips said.
"They should take time to relish the achievement" of starring in one of the world's most successful film franchises, he said. "They don't have to figure it all out now."
A decade after "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" entranced audiences, Hogwarts' final bell has rung for Radcliffe and his two co-stars, Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger).
The "Harry Potter" franchise -- seven books, eight movies, a theme park and related merchandise -- draws to an end of sorts on Friday, when the final movie installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2," hits theaters.
And like any graduates, the young actors must face the question: What's next?
The movies have been critical and financial successes, thanks in large part to the young stars who had the weight of a billion-dollar franchise on their shoulders, said Tim Ryan, senior editor at Rotten Tomatoes, a movie-review aggregation website.
"They have demonstrated they have the goods" to forge acting careers, he said.
"Potter" fans howled when the studio announced that 2007's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the final book in author J.K. Rowling's wildly popular fantasy series, would be split into two movies.
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" is the climax of the series-long struggle between Harry and the ultimate evil wizard, Voldemort. Nothing less than the fates of the wizarding and nonwizarding worlds -- not to mention Harry's life -- hang in the balance.
The loyal legions have waited since November, when "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1" was released, for the saga's conclusion.
In "Part 1," Harry, Ron and Hermione skipped their final year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to search for horcruxes, magical objects that hold pieces of Voldemort's soul.
Harry also learned that Voldemort is seeking the Elder Wand, a wand that cannot be defeated.
As anyone who has read "Deathly Hallows" knows, "Part 2" includes the epic Battle of Hogwarts, which pits Voldemort and his followers against Hogwarts students, professors and magical creatures.
Stars should choose
next roles carefully
It's hard to guess whether Radcliffe, Grint and Watson will be forever typecast as a magical heroes, brainy and bossy, or comedic slackers. But if they want to avoid that fate, they need to be smart about which film roles they choose, Ryan said.
"There's no real obvious path to long-term success. It comes down to making the right choices," he said.
The website Movieline recently asked readers to vote on which "Harry Potter" star would be the most successful in the future. Writer Scott Harris predicted that Radcliffe's career could mirror those of Heath Ledger and Brad Pitt, and that Watson could go for roles played by Keira Knightley or Cate Blanchett.
Harris saw Grint as the up-and-coming Joseph Gordon-Levitt or John Cusack.
Or Radcliffe, Grint and Watson could explore artistic outlets besides acting. Stepping away from the big screen might be the best thing for them emotionally and for their careers, said Sean Phillips, executive producer of the Yahoo Movies and Yahoo Kids websites.
"Their opportunities won't disappear," Phillips said. "Overall, they need to figure out who they are without 'Harry Potter.' "
Of all the young "Harry Potter" stars, Radcliffe has been the most determined to prepare himself for an acting career outside of the fantasy series. In a crucial step toward serious roles, he appeared nude onstage a few years ago in a Broadway production of "Equus."
"It's good for us to know him as more than Harry Potter," Phillips said.
Currently, Radcliffe is back on Broadway starring as the promotion-hungry J. Pierrepont Finch in the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."
But he hasn't left film entirely. He will be seen in the supernatural thriller "The Woman in Black," set for a January release.
In true Hermione fashion, Watson seems poised to juggle her interests in education, fashion and acting. She modeled for the iconic British fashion house Burberry in 2009 and 2010.
This summer, she began filming the romantic drama "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" (slated for 2012), in which she plays the love interest of a shy teenage boy. The film is an adaptation of a 1999 novel. This November, moviegoers will see Watson starring in "My Week With Marilyn," a drama that has Michelle Williams playing troubled actress Marilyn Monroe.
"I don't know if it will be acting, but it will be something creative," he said.
Grint could become a natural character actor, Ryan said. With his expressive face and good-humor vibe, he would be terrific in a Simon Pegg movie like "Shaun of the Dead," he said.
Expect to see the redhead in two movies coming out this year, and two in 2012.
He'll star in the horror movie "Cross Country" and in "Eddie the Eagle," a British release that tells the story of England's first Olympic ski jumper. Both movies are slated for release this year.
In the low-budget Norwegian film "Comrade," English and German pilots who have been shot down must cooperate to survive a harsh Norwegian winter. That's scheduled for a 2012 release.
Grint turns back time again to 1939, when members of an English soccer team decide to enlist in World War II as a group in "Wartime Wanderers," also due next year.
He's not a member of the Inner Three, but Tom Felton made an impression as Harry's enemy Draco Malfoy. Felton will be seen in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (Friday, Aug. 5) and the 2012 horror film "The Apparition."
Veteran actors
still in demand
"Harry Potter" filled its supporting roles with the cream of the British acting corps, so actors such as Alan Rickman and Ralph Fiennes will have no trouble keeping a full dance card.
It was recently announced that Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange) has been cast as Miss Havisham in a film version of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations." Director Mike Newell is expected to start filming in October.
Carter will be reunited with Fiennes, who will play the villain Magwitch; the project is being produced by BBC Films to mark the 200th anniversary of Dickens' birth in 2012.
Carter joins Johnny Depp and director Tim Burton in a movie version of the television camp classic "Dark Shadows," due in theaters next year.
Rickman (Severus Snape) will make the thriller "Gambit" with Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth, a project written by the Coen brothers. He'll also head to Broadway this fall, where Rickman will be in the world premiere of Theresa Rebeck's new play "Seminar."
Fiennes (Voldemort) directs and stars as the legendary Roman leader Coriolanus in a film adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name (December). Fiennes also returns as Hades in "Clash of the Titans 2" (March).
And what about the creator herself, J.K. Rowling? She's dropped hints about writing an encyclopedia of the wizarding world and relayed progress she's made on a children's book and an adult book.
This month, Rowling announced the creation of a new website, PotterMore.com, that will include electronic downloads and behind-the-scenes information about Harry's world when it launches in October.
While "Potter" fans keep busy sifting through the mounds of unpublished material to be posted on PotterMore, Radcliffe, Grint and Watson might retreat from the spotlight to grab back some of their truncated childhood, Yahoo's Phillips said.
"They should take time to relish the achievement" of starring in one of the world's most successful film franchises, he said. "They don't have to figure it all out now."
