Top 10 Other Roles by Hogwarts Students

Matthew Lewis’ Neville Longbottom never seemed the most gifted student (just ask Madam Hooch), but since his vital role at the Battle of Hogwarts the actor has taken on all manner of projects. We’ve picked out “Bluestone 42” as his brightest moment, if only for the stark contrast it offers. A BBC comedy/drama set during the war in Afghanistan, Lewis plays Corporal House, as part of a bomb disposal team. Nicknamed ‘Towerblock’, there’s clearly nothing shy or retiring about this guy. He’s stacked with confidence, and with muscle. So much so, Lewis is inspiration for the unofficial verb, ‘Nevilled’, which can be applied to anyone who suddenly becomes seriously attractive.

Freddie Stroma irritated us all as Ron’s arrogant love rival Cormac McLaggen, but even Hermionie’s self-centred Slug Club date has got nothing on this guy. Ben the try-hard traveller does everything he can to make the boys feel unwelcome in “The Inbetweeners 2”, but Will, Simon, Neil and Jay aren’t that easy to get rid of. Stroma stars as the stereotypically pretentious traveller type, complete with blond dreadlocks and bad tattoos. He still gets the girl though, much to Will’s disappointment. Also known as Samwell Tarly’s show-off brother in “Game of Thrones”, we’re sure he’s a great guy but, Stroma certainly knows how to get under an audience’s skin.

After announcing herself as Luna Lovegood, one of Harry Potter’s closest allies, Evanna Lynch takes the title role for our next film, an Irish indie coming-of-age story which had most critics cooing. Lynch’s Emily has endured a tough upbringing, being moved between foster homes and suffering abuse along the way. And so, when her father fails to write from the psychiatric ward in which he lives, she sets off on a spontaneous road trip alongside her only friend. While her role in 2013’s “G.B.F.” caught attention too, Lynch’s portrayal of Emily is both heart-breaking and uplifting, and one which fans of the actress simply have to see.

The first Slytherin to make today’s countdown, Scarlett Bryne played Pansy Parkinson in the last three films of the series, a role held by four different actresses in the first five movies. She has mostly concentrated on TV work since, memorably swapping wands for fangs in 2015 for a part in “The Vampire Diaries”. As Nora Hildegard, a witch/vampire hybrid and one of the Heretics, she forms a devilish double act in the show’s sixth and seventh seasons, with her lover Mary Louise. A fiery character throughout, Byrnes’ is a rare case where she famously plays another witch (or half-witch, at least) outside of the Harry Potter universe.

Of all the emerging actors in “Harry Potter”, Rupert Grint was one of the first to branch out. We’d barely recovered from Ron’s Wizard’s Chess heroics in first year when he starred as the super-brainy Alan A. Allen in “Thunderpants”. The actor soon took on more ‘sophisticated’ roles, and this part in “Driving Lessons” pitched him alongside Julie Walters once more, but with a very different chemistry to that which Potter fans were used to. Grint plays Ben, an unassuming seventeen-year-old, while Walters is Dame Evie, an eccentric ex-actress. The ‘youth and experience’ storyline is somewhat predictable, but Grint’s turn proves he’s way more than just Harry’s best mate, paving the way for the string of indie flicks which followed.

With slicked back blond locks and a sniggering sense of entitlement, Tom Felton turned Draco Malfoy into one of cinema’s best bad guys. As such, the actor has carved quite the reputation for villainous roles, both on the big screen and small. But his best outing of all toes the line between good and bad, as Julian Albert in “The Flash”. A metahuman specialist who unknowingly falls under the control of the evil Savitar, he assumes an identity as Doctor Alchemy and turns people into husks all over Central City. Sure, once he’s rid of Savitar’s control he becomes a major player against his former possessor, but Draco with a supervillain voice chills us to our very core.

After ten years playing the Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived and one of the most instantly recognisable characters on the planet, many said Daniel Radcliffe would never shake off his Harry-shaped shackles. However, his post-Potter back-catalogue is popping with unconventional and unexpected roles, not least this part as the magical corpse, Manny. “Swiss Army Man” sees Daniel Radcliffe play a dead body which washes up on the shores of a deserted island, just in time to save Paul Dano’s Hank from suicide. A fart-filled cadaver who serves as a speedboat and whose erections double up as compass directions, he’s not your typical hero but he’s a very far cry from Radcliffe’s famous boy wizard.

As Harry’s fellow Gryffindor Dean Thomas, Alfred Enoch had supporting roles in seven out of the eight Potter films. Away from Hogwarts he’s best known for the ABC crime drama “How to Get Away with Murder”. Starring as Wes Gibbons, a star student for Viola Davis’ lawyer-come-lecturer Annalise Keating, his life is a long series of complex murder mysteries. And whether Wes is at the centre of the plot, as suspect or victim, or on the peripheral, he’s one of the show’s most pivotal characters. And to think, this guy once dated Ginny Weasley, much to Ron’s memorable disapproval.

Why settle for one world-conquering movie franchise when you can have two? Robert Pattinson’s Cedric Diggory played an important part in the fourth Potter film, despite surviving Voldermort for only a matter of seconds. But Pattinson’s defining moment came with a leading role in “Twilight” at the start of a seismic adaptation of Stephanie Meyer’s best-selling saga. Following a first film based on the unlikely romance between handsome vampire Edward and average high-schooler Bella Swan, Pattinson’s adoring fan base quickly grew with series sequels. With swished hair, chiselled jaw and aching eyes, Edward is the epitome of teen icon. Pattinson’s role in “The Lost City of Z” certainly deserves praise, but his beautiful bloodsucker is today’s runner-up.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Katie Leung as Mei Ashley
“One Child” (2014)

Jessie Cave as Heather
“Trollied” (2015)

Luke Youngblood as Magnitude
“Community” (2010-13)

Of all the Hogwarts alumni, Emma Watson has soared highest up Hollywood’s a-list, racking up a wide range of roles. From a spot on Noah’s ark to a part in the “Bling Ring”, she’s rode every wave thrown her way. But an outing as Belle in 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” beats them all. While previous Disney live action remakes struggled to meet expectations, this movie blew them away. A huge blockbuster, Watson’s Belle is crucial to the film’s success. She’s an ambitious book-lover turned queen of her very own castle, with an iconic dress sense and an eye for the ballroom. If she hadn’t already, Belle sees Watson break away from her Harry Potter fame. Hermione would be proud.