Daniel Radcliffe’s ability to embrace new projects across multiple mediums is no less admirable than his willingness to reference the past, and a certain wizard who just won’t go away.
Change and reinvention for Daniel Radcliffe has never been in doubt. Of course, the 32-year-old, to some, will always be Harry Potter, no matter how much the genre changes or the boyish good looks lessen. “Potter… it’s a noose I’m willing to accept,” he laughs.
For those who can’t see a truly credible actor of versatility, flexibility and pure intelligence… well, you might only suppose the loss is theirs.
“I learned a long time ago you can’t keep going back to the well,” he admits. “Harry Potter was great but, you know, I was a kid, and I’m definitely not that kid now.
“Of course, I will always be grateful, and I know to a certain generation they would love me to stay that character forever, but for my own sanity I had to reinvent as far away from that as I could, and I feel I have done that.
“And besides, what film does is immortalises people in that moment… so I will always be there, in one sense.”
Since the final Potter film screened in 2011, Radcliffe has extended his range with a series of daring performances in horror films (The Woman in Black and Victor Frankenstein), dramas (Kill Your Darlings and The Gamechangers), and edgy comedies (Horns and Swiss Army Man). He’s also made a name for himself on stage in Equus (famously appearing naked), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Broadway play Privacy.
His big project of 2022 has been the Indiana Jones styled The Lost City, alongside Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum – a movie that takes him back to the brand of elongated eccentric that we know and love. Is the move intentional?
“Not really,” he says. “I don’t have any strategy other than to choose projects that make me happy and satisfy me creatively.
“It starts with the script, but I’m also anxious to work with actors and directors I admire, and who are going to help me grow as an individual and evolve in my profession.
“Those are the only things I know I can control because you never really know how a film will turn out and what level of success it will have.”
For a while, it seemed as though Radcliffe, who is in a long-term relationship with actress Erin Darke, was going to head the way of emotive, intellectual independent movies. After all, that would match the headspace he occupied as a kid growing up writing and poetry – two things he loves. “I think my love of words comes from having grown up surrounded by books, scripts, and plays. My father was an agent whose clients were writers and directors and there were always stacks of books lying around the house.
“I didn’t read that much when I was a child but suddenly around the age of 14, I began to devour everything, especially books on history. I still read a lot although now it’s mainly non-fiction. Reading and writing are great passions of mine and I think that has helped me in terms of choosing scripts.
“Ultimately, whatever it is – TV, film, stage – I know what makes me tick and I look forward to the next job and making the best of that experience. It makes things much simpler and easier for me when I’m feeling confident and excited about work, rather than apprehensive and worried, which in the past was me all over.”
And Radcliffe admits he still looks back on the Harry Potter experience with fondness. He was just 11 when filming for that first JK Rowling-driven film – Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – began. “Those were very, very happy times for me. A movie set is one of the most exciting places that a child could ever wish for. I still feel that way when I get on a new set… I love the energy, the feeling of creativity, getting to know a lot of new and talented people – I love it all.”
