Having spent his teenage years portraying one of the most beloved, hapless and quotable characters in the Harry Potter universe as Neville Longbottom, Matthew Lewis is all grown up - and so are his acting roles.
A far cry from the grandeur of the halls of Hogwarts, Lewis insists the humble Auckland-based set of his latest project, Kiwi flick Baby, Done was still filled with magic.
In fact, the Harry Potter star feels a lot more comfortable on smaller productions, with less of the "small cog in a big machine" vibes, he tells Newshub.
"I was on a small-budget movie in New Zealand, but with the professionalism and the quality and the talent that was on display, I could have easily been working for MGM or Warner Bros," says Lewis.
Opposite one of Aotearoa's finest comedy exports Rose Matafeo, Lewis plays dad-to-be Tim, a character he says is loosely based on the film's director, Curtis Vowell.
"I fell in love with not just the story, but Tim the character that I play. I knew how to play him," Lewis explains.
"Curtis and I just got on so well immediately that I was like 'yeah, I do know this guy'.
"Before I knew it I was on a flight to New Zealand."
The final scene of the Harry Potter franchise jumps 19 years into the future where many of the gang including Ron, Hermoine, Harry, Ginny and Malfoy have become parents seeing their own children catch the Hogwarts Express from Platform 9 ¾.
Not so for Neville Longbottom, who went on to become Hogwarts' Professor of Herbology; but for Lewis, it's not hard to imagine what he would have been like as a father.
"I think he'd have been a great dad," Lewis says of his iconic character.
"You know, what happened to his parents," he continues (they were tortured into insanity by a bunch of Death Eaters, duh).
"And then living with his overbearing grandmother... he would be adamant that it would be a different childhood for his kids."
Meanwhile, Lewis is less certain of how his latest character Tim would fare as a wizard. Musing over what house he might have been sorted into, Lewis lands on Hufflepuff - a house that values hard work, loyalty and patience, according to the Harry Potter Fandom page.
"I think Ravenclaws are very intelligent, aren't they? Tim's not super intelligent. He makes some silly, silly choices. I know what he's not. So I'm going to say that he would probably be a Hufflepuff," Lewis says.
Baby, Done hits New Zealand cinemas on October 22.
Watch the full video of Matthew Lewis' interview above.
