Harry Potter: 'Percy Weasley changed my life' says Chris Rankin

Harry Potter fans around the world have been celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of the Philosopher's Stone, the first film in the franchise.

Little did actor Chris Rankin, 38, who grew up in Norfolk, know that landing the role of Hogwart's prefect Percy Weasley would change his life.

"Literally everything I've done in the last 20 years has been, in some way, linked to Harry Potter," he said.

An HBO Max special, Return To Hogwarts, is due for release on 1 January.

Although not involved with the homage, the wizarding world stills runs deep in Rankin's veins - he is currently on tour across Europe with a full orchestra presenting The Magical Music of Harry Potter. The concert comes to the UK in December at 10 venues including Blackpool, Croydon, Ipswich, Sheffield and Liverpool.

"I don't think it's unreasonable to say Potter changed, shaped, my life - it's crazy. If you'd have asked me 20 years ago if I thought I'd still be talking about Harry Potter on a daily basis I think I would have laughed in your face," he said.

"I'm literally sharing my memories of that first film, the first time we were on set together, to crowds of people all around the place - I'm very lucky."

For 16-year-old Rankin there must have been magic in the air when he sent off a letter, sadly not with an owl, to the BBC's Newsround asking for an audition to play the Weasley brother. He went on to play the role for 11 years.

"My first day filming was up at Goathland railway station in North Yorkshire doing the Hogwarts Express at Hogsmeade Station," he recalled.

"I remember being on that train with a tiny little Dan [Radcliffe], a tiny little Rupert [Grint], and a very tiny little Emma [Watson] and all of us going 'this is really weird. We're all dressed up as wizards and this is happening'.

"You'd go into the Great Hall [at Hogwarts] and be surrounded by some the greatest film acting talent in the world - Alan Rickman, Dame Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Julie Walters - they are incredibly fun, incredibly fond memories."

Life in one of the world's biggest movie franchises brought with it "a wall of sound", said Rankin.

"Stepping out of a car in Leicester Square onto a red carpet, with thousand of people screaming at us, I don't think I honestly knew what I'd let myself in for. I was like 'Oh, this is big'," he said.

"I'd grown up doing shows in Dereham's Memorial Hall and Northgate High School, but to suddenly see your face 80ft high on a screen in Leicester Square, or at the UCI in Norwich [where Chris worked as an usher and popcorn scooper] was a whole other thing - it was everywhere for ever."

Two decades on, Harry Potter has taken Rankin to a lot of "fabulous jobs" including panto all over the UK.

The actor has also enjoyed talking Potter on the global convention circuit.

"It's a lot of fun and I enjoy talking to people. Appearing at Comic Con I love as I'm a massive fanboy, so I appreciate it from both sides," he said.

He has also worked in TV production, including stints on ITV's Downton Abbey and the Monmouth-filmed Atlantis for BBC Wales.

A big part of his life is now running Brecon Little Theatre, a community arts charity in mid-Wales along with being an ally to the LGBTQ+ community.

"I love doing it," he said. "I grew up in community theatre in Norfolk so it's always been a big part of my life and it's nice to be able to do that again in my new home."

"My age group now have the kids who are discovering Potter anew - it's as big now as it ever has been and I think it will remain so," said Rankin.

"There's something in it for everybody, I think people pick up on that message of love and acceptance, which is what I got out of it.

"Hogwarts is a welcoming place any for anybody, no matter what their background, who needs safety.

"I speak to a lot of fans that say 'Hogwarts is somewhere that I felt safe. I'd be OK, I can get away from the troubles or worries in the real world' and for me that is so important and it's a huge privilege to be let into that.

"Potter has the classic good-versus-evil, love-conquers-all over-arc of a story - it's that classic story telling place of Narnia, Lord of the Rings - it has a morality to it and that simplicity is what makes it work.

"Harry Potter has that same thing and you can enjoy it on many different levels that somebody will find a connection with. That's why it's still around and that's why it's still magical."

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