Remember the kid who played Dudley Dursley in Harry Potter? The honor of portraying Vernon and Petunia’s Muggle son, and Harry’s insolent cousin, fell on British actor Harry Melling. Looking at his impressive career since the Harry Potter franchise, it’s clear to see that Melling harbors a rare talent, as evident in his latest movie — The Pale Blue Eye.
From Dudley Dursley to Edgar Allan Poe
Gone are the days when fans associated Harry Melling with the obnoxious chubby Muggle Dudley Dursley, who was a sharp contrast to his cousin Harry. Today, everyone is singing Melling’s praises after seeing his performance alongside Christian Bale in Netflix’s brand new, highly-popular, film The Pale Blue Eye.
In it, Melling portrays the role of the young cadet Edgar Allan Poe who, as we all know, would later go on to become a world-famous author. The plot centers around veteran detective Augustus Landor (Christian Bale) as he investigates a series of gruesome murders with the help of Poe. Melling’s performance is remarkable, and despite the A-list cast (Gillian Anderson, Harry Lawtey, Lucy Boynton, and Robert Duvall, to name a few), he really stood out.
Melling on His Transformation
Although most remember Melling from his chubby Dudley Dursley days, the actor actually went through a weight loss transformation in his late teens. He recently talked about it to the press, stating that it wasn’t a “conscious decision at all,” but he understands how that would be a popular topic of discussion, especially considering his famous Harry Potter character.
Instead of focusing on the public scrutiny he was under, Melling decided to focus on getting through drama school and honing his craft. The results are obvious — with memorable roles like Harry Beltik in The Queen’s Gambit, and now Edgar Allan Poe in The Pale Blue Eye, one thing’s crystal clear — Harry Melling is capable of so much more than what we saw from him as Dudley Dursley.