Harry Melling Went From PG ‘Harry Potter’ to B.D.S.M. ‘Pillion’

Harry Melling Went From PG ‘Harry Potter’ to B.D.S.M. ‘Pillion’ — Static01.nyt.com
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Harry Melling shed the image of Harry Potter's cousin Dudley Dursley — and his clothes — to star as Colin, a bashful, choir-singing parking attendant who becomes the submissive to Ray, a leather-clad biker played by Alexander Skarsgard, in the queer romance Pillion.

The film, which centers on a B.D.S.M. relationship, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won a screenplay award; it was later named best film at the British Independent Film Awards, where Melling earned a nomination for best lead performance, and picked up three BAFTA nominations.

Melling has deliberately reshaped his career since the Potter films, returning to theater in roles from King Lear to a one-man show and taking diverse screen turns in projects such as The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Macbeth and The Pale Blue Eye.

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