Inside Robbie Coltrane’s incredibly close relationship with Harry Potter stars who he called his kids

ROBBIE Coltrane compared the child stars of Harry Potter to his 'own kids' in a moving interview filmed before his sad death.

The legendary actor, who passed away aged 72 on Friday, played Hagrid in the Harry Potter film franchise and admitted he was "protective" over the youngsters.

In December last year, Robbie spoke about his close relationship with the likes of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson to mark the 20th anniversary of The Philosopher's Stone.

He said: "You've got to remember, when they first started they were about eight. I think the oldest of them was 11.

"Now they're big grown ups with their own lives. Grint's had a baby. Grint's now a father! It's just astonishing, the change."

Scots-born actor Robbie added: "Watching them growing up was kind of like watching you own grow up, you know. Because you were protecting them."

Robbie went on to muse about how everyone on set was on "their best behaviour" because the stars were so young.

"There was no fighting or swearing!" he laughed. "Everyone just thought, 'Kids'. You know."

In the interview, from HBO's TV special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, Robbie also described the child actors as "fearless".

He admitted he was nervous the first time he walked into The Great Hall on set but that they took it in their stride.

Robbie said: "I was always astonished at how fearless they were.

"I remember walking into The Great Hall, and I've been doing this for 30 years, and I thought, 'Dear Lord! Woah, better get this one right'."

The actor added: "I do have enormous happy memories of this actually."

Robbie gained worldwide recognition as gentle giant Hagrid in all eight Harry Potter films and as Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in the James Bond films GoldenEye and The World Is Not Enough.

He rose to fame as a hard-bitten detective in the 1990s series Cracker, for which he won best actor at the British Academy Television Awards three years running.

His agent Belinda Wright confirmed his death on Friday and paid tribute to the "forensically intelligent" and "brilliantly witty" actor.

She said: "Robbie was a unique talent, sharing the Guinness Book of Records' Award for winning three consecutive Best Actor Baftas for his portrayal of Fitz in Granada TV's series Cracker in 1994, 1995 and 1996 with Sir Michael Gambon.

"He will probably be best remembered for decades to come as Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, a role which brought joy to children and adults alike all over the world, prompting a stream of fan letters every week for over 20 years."