Leaving 'Harry Potter' franchise felt like stepping out of an institution, says Rupert Grint

British actor Rupert Grint says leaving the 'Harry Potter' franchise was like ''stepping out of an institution''.

The 30-year-old actor, who starred as Ron Weasley in the money-spinning film series, said leaving the role behind was kind of a relief for him.

''The line between Ron and me became thinner with each film and I think we became virtually the same person. There's a lot of me in Ron and moving on was a massive adjustment because it was such a constant part of my life.

''I don't want to liken it to coming out of prison because it wasn't a prison, but it did feel like stepping out of an institution. It was nice to breathe the fresh air and now I'm really enjoying stepping further away from that blue-screen world," Grint told The Guardian.

The actor said he even contemplated quitting the 'Harry Potter' franchise while he was filming one of the movies.

''There were definitely times when I thought about leaving. Filming 'Harry Potter' was a massive sacrifice; working from such a young age for such long periods and I definitely remember thinking during one extended break, 'This whole thing is so all consuming, do I really want to go back? Maybe it's just not for me.' I guess I was probably just being a teenager," he said.