Harry Melling thinks escaping the attention of fans was a "blessing".
Harry Melling
The 31-year-old actor played Dudley Dursley in the 'Harry Potter' movies, but after losing a considerable amount of weight, Harry was able to avoid to being recognised by fans of the franchise.
He explained: "I think it was an unconscious thing when it started to happen.
"I went to drama school when I was 18 and that's kind of where the weight shifted, not for any sort of major need on my side, but it's just something that just happened. And I've done a lot since drama school, went to do lots of theatre.
"I think one of the blessings of that sort of stage in my life was the fact that I didn't get recognised. I had this history of being part of the films, but also I felt like I had the opportunity to sort of cause a new start, which I think is useful."
Harry has recently returned to the spotlight in three projects for Netflix - 'The Old Guard', 'The Devil All the Time' and 'The Queen's Gambit' - and he hopes that fans don't suddenly grow tired of seeing his face too much.
Speaking to People, he shared: "I hope people don't get bored of seeing me.
"But honestly it's just a great, strange coincidence that unfortunately, people can't get out and so they're relying on Netflix. So it's been a really strange and wonderful happening, the fact that these shows have all had this strange Covid life almost."
Harry plays a chess master in 'The Queen's Gambit' - but he's revealed that prior to shooting the drama series, he didn't know how to play chess.
He said: "I knew a chessboard, I knew what the pieces looked like, but I had no idea how they moved, where they went, what the rules were. So I was starting from scratch."