Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Daniel Radcliffe explains why he makes ‘weird’ career choices

‘It’s incredibly liberating to do the biggest thing you’re ever gonna do really f***ing early,’ said Harry Potter star

Ellie Harrison
Monday 22 February 2021 05:17 EST
Comments
Harry Potter trailer released

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Daniel Radcliffe has said he is able to take creative risks with the films he stars in, a luxury he believes he owes to his early success in the Harry Potter franchise.

The actor shot to worldwide fame aged 11 after his debut as Harry Potter. He starred in the fantasy series for 10 years, earning an estimated fortune of $95.6m (£68.2m) for his work in the franchise.

Speaking to Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood in this month’s Empire magazine, Radcliffe said: “I’ve actually found it’s an incredibly liberating thing, to do the biggest thing you’re ever gonna do really f***ing early.

“The financial success thing, that’s done. So just do things that make you happy. And I definitely get a sense of that from your career, Elijah. Like, for every director out there that was like, ‘I can only see him as Harry Potter’, there was at least one that said, ‘I wonder if he’ll do this really f***ing weird thing?’ And I did!”

Read more - Daniel Radcliffe reveals he got mistaken for a homeless person in New York

Radcliffe’s most left-field roles following Harry Potter include his full-frontal performance as a boy who is sexually attracted to a horse in the play Equus and his portrayal of a talking corpse whose erection is used as a compass in Swiss Army Man.

Wood agreed with Radcliffe’s comments. “Yeah,” he said. “I would have said the exact same thing if you hadn’t articulated it. Your career is so rad. You make such fun choices.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in