Harry Potter star Harry Melling is worlds away from Dudley Dursley as he mingles with A-listers at Directors Guild of America Awards after selling X-rated homosexual romance movie

On Feb 8, 2026

Have YOU got a story? Email [email protected]

By BETHAN EDWARDS, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER

Published: 12:54, 8 February 2026 | Updated: 13:51, 8 February 2026

Harry Potter star Harry Melling was worlds away from Dudley Dursley as he mingled with A-listers at the Directors Guild of America Awards on Saturday night.

The actor, 36, who shot to fame in the famous wizarding film franchise at the age of 12 in 2001, has recently shed his child star image by promoting new role in X-rated gay romance film.

Harry cut a smart figure for the evening in a bold red studded shirt which he teamed with a black blazer and matching trousers.

The star flashed a smile as he posed on the red carpet while rubbing shoulders with the likes of Kate Hudson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet and Seth Rogen.

Three years ago, while promoting his gothic thriller, The Pale Blue Eye, Harry expressed his desire to separate himself from the world of Harry Potter.

He mused: ‘You have to move on and get on with your life and and pursue the things that interest you… hopefully the Potter thing will slowly fade away.’

Harry Potter star Harry Melling is worlds away from Dudley Dursley as he mingled with A-listers at the Directors Guild of America Awards

Harry shot to fame in the famous wizarding film franchise at the age of 12 in 2001 (pictured)

The actor, 36, who shot to fame in the famous wizarding film franchise at the age of 12 in 2001, has recently shed his child star image by promoting new role in X-rated gay romance film

Now Harry is taking on his most daring role to date with Pillion, where he plays Colin, a timid gay man who enters into a BDSM relationship with enigmatic biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgård).

The movie received an eight-minute standing ovation at Cannes, but director Harry Lighton admitted that the version screened at the iconic film festival had been edited down significantly due to its graphic sex scenes.

‘It was purely because I didn’t want to push the audience into feeling they were being deliberately shocked by an image,’ he explained to Variety.

‘So for example, there was one close up of a d**k, a hard d**k … like down the barrel of the lens. And after watching the film on that “f**k-off” screen I thought, yeah, cutting it was probably the right decision!’

Alexander chimed in: ‘There’s definitely a raunchier version of this movie … what you’ve seen is the family friendly version… there’s also the Alexander Skarsgard cut.’

Lighton went on to admit that Pillion may need to undergo even more edits to ensure that it can get a US release.

The racy role is worlds away from any of Harry’s former roles.

Harry – who has lost approximately 70lbs since starring in the movies – has had roles in black comedy The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs and Netflix hit, The Queen’s Gambit.