While the Harry Potter movies cover many themes, friendship is among the most important. 

The love that the golden trio: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, have for one another is of great importance. 

But Potterheads weren’t just invested in the friendship that the characters shared. 

Many fans were also invested in the relationship between the actors who portrayed them. 

There was much interest in whether Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson were friends in real life.

Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Daniel Radcliffe viewed each other like family.

Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson spent a decade of their lives in very close proximity to each other. 

Filming and promoting the eight Harry Potter movies meant that they were constantly working and traveling with one another. Fortunately, the actors got along right away.

Over time, they started viewing each other as family members rather than just friends.

The trio didn’t often hang out outside of filming and promoting the ‘Harry Potter’ movies

While speaking with Interview Magazine, Watson revealed that her connection with Radcliffe and Grint was familial. And though you love your family, it’s also important to take breaks from them. “To be honest, we see so much of each other when we’re working that hanging out together would be overload,” Watson shared about Radcliffe and Grint. “I love them, but I need to see other friends off set. They’re like my siblings now.”

Radcliffe was quick to echo Watson’s sentiments in his own interview with Collider. He too, stressed the importance of Grint, Watson, and himself making friends outside of the wizarding world of Harry Potter. However, that need didn’t take away from the closeness he felt with his fellow castmates and the shared experiences they’d had over the course of a decade.

Daniel Radcliffe revealed that he’ll always feel connected to Grint and Watson despite having other friends

“But yeah, we have gotten on very, very well,” Radcliffe shared about his relationships with both Grint and Watson. “We’ve got other friends as well, I think it’s important to say. We don’t just hang around with each other all the time. But yeah, no we get on very, very well and we also have the knowledge that no matter what happens in the rest of our lives, no one will have had this particular experience other than the 3 of us. And I think that is something that will never, never leave us.”

Since wrapping the Harry Potter movies in 2011, the trio has remained friends. While they don’t have a group chat or talk daily, they still check in from time to time. Grint sends Watson photos of his daughter, Wednesday. Meanwhile, Watson and Radcliffe offer each other support whenever they’re stepping back into the spotlight. So while the actors may not be as closely connected as the fictional characters they portray, there’s still lots of love between them.