Rupert Grint remembers 'giant-hearted' Harry Potter costar Robbie Coltrane in tribute

Rupert Grint will always remember the smell of Harry Potter costar Robbie Coltrane's "cigars and beard glue."

The actor who portrayed Ron Weasley in the film franchise paid tribute to the "giant-hearted" Coltrane following his death on Oct. 14 at the age of 72. Grint shared a photo of his late costar in character as beloved Hogwarts half-giant and groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid in front of his hut.

"Heartbroken to hear that Robbie is gone," Grint captioned the Instagram post shared over the weekend. "I'll never forget the smell of cigars and beard glue - a wonderful combination. No one else on this planet could [have] played Hagrid, only Robbie."

Yui Mok - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Rupert Grint and Robbie Coltrane

Grint called Coltrane warm, compassionate, and hilarious, "just as Hagrid was in the books and films." He added, "A giant hearted man who was still looking out for us even decades later. Sending love to his family. See you on the other side Bobser."

Coltrane, who had notable roles in British crime series Cracker and James Bond films GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough, made his debut as Hagrid in the first Harry Potter film, 2001's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and continued to play the role throughout the remaining seven films opposite Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, and Emma Watson.

Both Radcliffe and Watson remembered Coltrane in their own tributes. "Robbie was one of the funniest people I've met and used to keep us laughing constantly as kids on the set," Radcliffe, who potrayed the title boy wizard, said in a statement obtained by EW, where he also shared a treasured memory from set of the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

"I've especially fond memories of him keeping our spirits up on Prisoner of Azkaban, when we were all hiding from the torrential rain for hours in Hagrid's hut and he was telling stories and cracking jokes to keep morale up," Radcliffe said. "I feel incredibly lucky that I got to meet and work with him and very sad that he's passed. He was an incredible actor and a lovely man."

Watson, who played Hermione Granger, said "there was no better Hagrid" in her remembrance. "Robbie was like the most fun uncle I've ever had, but most of all, he was deeply caring and compassionate towards me as a child and an adult," she wrote on Instagram. "His talent was so immense that it made sense he played a giant — he could fill ANY space with his brilliance."

Peter Mountain/Warner Bros. Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid in 'Harry Potter'

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and stars Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, and Oliver and James Phelps also mourned Coltrane in their own tributes. Coltrane reunited with many of his costars for the franchise's 20th anniversary HBO Max reunion special, Return to Hogwarts, which aired in December 2021, and reflected on the film's legacy and his last day on set.

"I just think it's the end of an era," Coltrane said. "It's 10 years of my life, and my children have grown up during it, of course. The legacy of the movies is that my children's generation will show them to their children, so you could be watching [in] 50 years' time." He added with a chuckle, "I'll not be here, sadly, but Hagrid will, yes."

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Related content:

• Robbie Coltrane, beloved actor who played Hagrid in Harry Potter, dies at 72

• Daniel Radcliffe pays tribute to late Harry Potter costar Robbie Coltrane: 'One of the funniest people I've met'

• Harry Potter stars remember late castmate Robbie Coltrane: 'A giant, in more ways than one'