A man who is mistaken for Rupert Grint and Ed Sheeran says he is stopped for photos daily but “it’s nice to have the attention”.
Lewis Parker, 33, was first told he looked like Rupert Grint while watching Harry Potter with his mum, Lorraine, 54.
The fan said he was bullied for being “ginger” and looking like “Ron Weasley” – and even dyed his hair to avoid being called names.
But now he has turned his negative experience into a positive and is paid to be a lookalike – doing meet-and-greets, birthday parties, and events.
Lewis, a marble mason, from Spalding, Lincolnshire, said: “In the first movie, my parents noticed the resemblance straight away, and it progressed, and my mum wanted to go to a lookalike company.
“I have worked closely with other Harry Potter look-alikes for 10 years, and I’ve appeared on the Chanel4 lookalike in series two and episode three of the series. I’ve done Celebrity Birthday Parties, and it’s just been a magical 10 years.”
Lewis said he is stopped daily by people wanting to take photos of him – and only notices at the last moment that he’s not the Harry Potter star or Ed Sheeran.
He said: “I get stopped on a daily basis. This Sunday, I took my children around a car boot sale, and two people stopped me and had their phones at the ready. A lot of people are bold and ask, “Are you him?” and I explain what I do.
“I’ve never met Rupert Grint but have met Chris Ranking, who played Percy Weasley, Jason Donovan and Jonathan Ross.”
Lewis uses his likeness at meet and greets at festivals, Harry Potter-themed events for councils, and he has visited the Hogwarts grounds.
Lewis said: “My family have been really supportive. I wasn’t one for fame and it’s nice to have so many followers and for having a viral video you want some recollection after it.
“There are times where I do like it and it’s nice to have the attention and it’s nice to have the lead the life of a celebrity in a way just with out the money.”
