Robbie Coltrane grew so fond of the young cast of Harry Potter that working with them was like watching his own children grow up.

The acting icon, who died on Friday (14.10.22) at the age of 72 after being confined to a wheelchair due to knee pain resulting from a battle with osteoarthritis, said his last known film appearance saw him become extremely protective of the franchise’s child stars, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.

In an interview for the HBO television show “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: ​​Return to Hogwarts” – his last known film, which was released on New Year’s Day – he said of working with the young people: “You have to remember that they were about eight years old when they started. I think the oldest of them was eleven.”

“Now they are big adults with their own lives. Grint had a baby – Grint is now a father! The change is just amazing.

“Watching them grow up was like watching your own child grow up, you know. Because you protected them.

“I was always amazed at how fearless they were. I remember walking into the Great Hall – I’ve been doing this for 30 years – and thinking, ‘Jesus Christ! Wow, I’ve got to get this better than that.’

“I actually have incredibly beautiful memories of it.”

He also stressed that the adult actors behaved in an exemplary manner and that there were no fights or swearing on set because “everyone just thought: ‘kids.'”

Robbie played the gentle giant Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid in all eight Potter films, which was released in 2001 and grossed almost £10 billion. He also received praise for his portrayal of psychologist Fitz in the 1990s TV crime series Cracker.

He also gained worldwide fame through his role as Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in the James Bond films “GoldenEye” and “The World Is Not Enough”.

The Harry Potter cast and creator JK Rowling paid tribute to Robbie after his agent announced his death on Friday evening.

In a statement to Variety, Daniel Radcliffe said: “Robbie was one of the funniest people I have ever met and he constantly made us laugh as kids on set.

“I have particularly fond memories of him keeping us entertained during ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’, when we all hid from the pouring rain in Hagrid’s hut for hours and he told stories and cracked jokes to keep morale up.

“I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to meet him and work with him, and I’m very sad that he’s passed away. He was an incredible actor and a lovely person.”

Fred Weasley actor James Phelps also remembered Robbie Coltrane’s kindness in the Potter films, writing on Twitter: “I’ll never forget Robbie Coltrane coming up to me as a 14-year-old on my very first day on a film set in September 2000 and saying ‘Enjoy it, you’re going to be great.’ Thank you for that x.”

Robbie has a son, Spencer, and a daughter, Alice, with sculptor Rhona Gemmell, whom he married in 1999 but divorced four years later.