Harry Potter helped introduced the world to a young Daniel Radcliffe. But Radcliffe’s Harry Potter experience also left him with a chip on his shoulder when the actor pursued a career beyond the franchise.
Daniel Radcliffe on the type of actor he wanted to be after starring in ‘Harry Potter’
Radcliffe was well-aware of the challenges he might face during his post-Potter career. Breaking away from his Harry Potter image wasn’t going to be an easy feat. Especially when he felt sure that some directors wouldn’t hire him due to being the face of the franchise.
But Radcliffe was up to the task. He avoided starring in other blockbuster franchises and focused on getting more unconventional roles. This was because, as he grew as an actor, he wanted to be remembered less for Harry Potter and more for his taste in characters.
“When I finished Potter and was trying to figure out what my career was after that, I always said that I wanted to be the kind of actor that keeps his roles interesting enough that when you’ve got something coming out, people go, ‘Oh, he’s in that, he always makes interesting choices,’” Radcliffe told The Hollywood Reporter.
To execute his strategy, Radcliffe starred in projects like Woman in Black and Kill Your Darlings. Both were a far cry away from his Harry Potter role. Over the years, Radcliffe has filled his filmography with even more interesting choices. Doing so has further ensured his acting legacy wouldn’t be solely tied down to Harry Potter.
Daniel Radcliffe had a massive chip on his shoulder because of ‘Harry Potter’
Radcliffe once felt that he had a lot to prove in the film industry after his work in Harry Potter. The young star wanted to show others that acting wasn’t just something he stumbled onto at a young age. But rather, he was just as passionate about the craft as other actors in Hollywood.
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“I have a massive chip on my shoulder,” Radcliffe once said in an interview with the New York Times. “When you fall into something at age 11 and get paid incredible amounts of money for your entire teenage years for doing a job anyone would want, there is a part of you that thinks everybody is just saying, ‘He got there because he fell into it; he’s not really an actor.’”
Radcliffe would try not to act in other movies the same way he acted in Harry Potter. This was his attempt to avoid reminding audiences of his years as the boy wizard. But Radcliffe realized this strategy did more harm than good to his acting.
“I was struggling in vain to not come close to making a face that would make people think of Harry,” Radcliffe said. “It’s just my face. I have to accept the fact that my face is going to remind people of Harry because I played that character. If I try to avoid being expressive in that same way, all I’ll do is stop being expressive, and I won’t be any farther away from that character.”
Daniel Radcliffe wouldn’t be interested in starring in another blockbuster franchise
Although Radcliffe has starred in a variety of films since Potter, so far he hasn’t signed on for another major franchise of films. This is by design on Radcliffe’s part, who doesn’t really see himself being a part of another popular movie series.
“I wouldn’t like to get involved with another franchise at all, really,” Radcliffe once admitted to MTV News. “I’ve done that, and I know what that’s like, and it’s been a wonderful thing. Going on to any other franchise after ‘Potter’ might seem a little bit of a letdown.”
