It has been more than 20 years since Josh Herdman became Harry Potter franchise as the Slytherin sidekick of villain Draco Malfoy. The then-fresh 13-year-old played Gregory Goyle in the first film and then reprised the role in the next seven films – one of only a handful of actors to do so.
But today, the now tattooed and well-trained British actor is unrecognizable.
After becoming a father of two boys with his wife Jessica, the star embarked on a completely new career path, devoting himself to cage fighting and martial arts. After five years of training and earning a black belt in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu, he focused on a career as a professional MMA fighter.
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When asked why he made this unpredictable career move in 2016, he said he needed a firm focus. “If I’m honest, I was a party animal,” he said in an interview with the Press Association in 2018.
“I was like a lot of young people. I don’t know, it was the people I hung out with and you had money,” he explained. “It was just what I was doing and I got fed up with it so I gave it up and started focusing on my fitness, I quit smoking and I never looked back.”
After a successful acting career that took a downturn in his late teens, his incredible transformation undoubtedly changed the course of his life.
“I had enough of it, so I decided to get fit. I knew I had to focus on something and martial arts changed my life,” he said.
Josh has always enjoyed MMA, so it was a logical decision after his transition. “I chose MMA because I love the sport – it’s raw, exciting and unpredictable,” he told Addicted MMA On the Road. “I find it more interesting than boxing, although I appreciate the beauty and art of boxing. It also made sense to switch to MMA because of my jujitsu training. I want to do a few amateur fights first to start, and then who knows where it will go from there?”
Although Josh says acting was like “playing the lottery” for him, he hasn’t turned his back on acting completely. After leaving the world of Hogwarts behind, he has acted in a number of films and television roles. He was best known in the film Robin Hood alongside Jamie Foxx in 2018 and also had an ongoing role in the popular British crime drama Marcella.
He also entered the world of reality TV in May last year, playing the lead role in the British series The games. Along with 12 other celebrities, the former movie star took part in a series of intense sporting challenges that required weeks of hard training. Although he didn’t win, he came in a very respectable third place.
Josh still has a soft spot for his Harry Potter roots, often with reference to the days when he played alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson. He has even been cast in a number of Harry Potter Conventions around the world, most recently in the USA at a three-day event for Harry Potter fans.
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