Our Favorite Stars from the Harry Potter Films and Where They Are Today

What have Harry Potter and his friends been up to since the global phenomenon ended? Many of them have seen strange twists and turns in their careers. It's amazing to see how surprisingly different the lives of the Harry Potter stars are now.

Gregory Goyle may have been a gormless goon in the Harry Potter films, but Josh Herdman is a mixed martial artist in real life. He followed in his father Martin Herdman's footsteps by becoming an actor but also pursuing a separate career. While his father was a Rugby league footballer, Josh chose to learn MMA. However, he is also still an actor, with roles in the 2018 Robin Hood film as well as British detective series Marcella and action TV series Alex Rider.

Matthew Lewis landed the role of Neville Longbottom when he was 12 years old, although he started acting when he was five. An awkward, clumsy boy in the first few movies, Neville Longbottom magically transformed into one of the bravest of Gryffindor. The actor shocked fans with his real-life glow up from a goofy-looking kid to a poster boy. He has since starred in The Syndicate, Bluestone 42, Me Before You, and Terminal. He even starred in the music video of "Filth" by A Band of Buriers.

Muggle-born Hermione Granger, the brightest and most compassionate witch of her age, was played by Emma Watson to critical acclaim. After the Harry Potter movies, Emma Watson went on to star in movies such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Bling Ring, Beauty and the Beast, and Little Women. During this time, she also succeeded in getting a bachelor's degree in English literature and launching the HeForShe campaign as a UN Women Goodwill ambassador. She calls for boys and men to advocate gender equality.

Jason Isaacs is great at playing criminals. He played the aristocrat patriarch Lucius Malfoy to chilling perfection in the Harry Potter films, with his luscious mane of white-blonde hair, ornamental cane, and condescending voice. Like Evanna Lynch, Jason Isaacs also loved the books, having read four of them in one sitting. Since Harry Potter, he has starred in The Patriot, Brotherhood, and The Death of Stalin, all as villains. He has also been in TV shows such as Awake, Dig, and Scoob.