Harry Potter star Rupert Grint comes of age in drug film

The actor best known as the flame-haired friend of Harry Potter has thanked his army of fans for supporting the release of his new coming-of-age film.

Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley in the Potter series, stars in Cherrybomb, a story of a teenager in Belfast experimenting with sex and drugs.

The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival but originally failed to attract a distributor. It is a far cry from his role as a boy wizard but the 21-year-old's loyal fans rallied to campaign for its cinematic release.

Backed by a website petition and Facebook group boasting more than 10,000 supporters, a major distributor has been secured in Britain and the film should be released next year.

Grint said the film was "a world away from Harry Potter" and added: "I'm delighted by the huge support the film has already received and am so grateful to my fans, who have travelled the world to support the film at festivals and preview screenings."

Lisa Barros D'Sa, who co-directed the film with Glenn Leyburn, said: "It started off with Rupert. We have been astonished by it."

The drama also stars James Nesbitt, Kimberley Nixon — who appeared in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging — and Robert Sheehan.