Daniel Radcliffe Fan Site

HARRY POTTER ON MAKING MAGIC, PLAYING PRANKS AND LOOMING STARDOM

By Shep Morgan.

Just as Harry Potter's ordinary life is changed forever as he becomes a renowned wizard, the 12-year-old actor who plays him in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is making the leap from relative obscurity to fame--facing the kind of media frenzy usually reserved for Brad Pitt or Madonna. Daniel Radcliffe is about to become a superstar after beating out hundreds of competitors to snag a role as hotly contested as Anakin Skywalker.

Donning the familiar owlish glasses, waving a magic wand and riding one mean broomstick, Radcliffe seems perfectly at home fighting evil. He's giving big-screen life to the J.K. Rowling character that has captured the imagination of kids the world over and boosted the sales of her Harry Potter books to astronomical proportions.

Radcliffe's parents--his mother is a casting director, his father a well-known talent agent--are no strangers to the global power of Hollywood. They had mixed feelings about their son's impending celebrity (he made well-received appearances in The Tailor of Panama and the BBC production of David Copperfield) but agreed to let him audition.

Now, Daniel meets Harry in a mega-budget production directed by Chris Columbus, in which he costars with Emma Watson as Hermione Granger and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley. The all-star cast includes Richard Harris, John Hurt, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane and Kenneth Branagh.

In person, Radcliffe is refreshingly shy, unspoiled and appealingly boyish. (Just ask Robbie Coltrane, the frequent butt of practical jokes plotted by his young costar.) But as Harry survives the evil forces that confront him, will Daniel survive the hype? If you meet him, you'd bet on it.

You're rapidly becoming as famous a face as Harry himself. How does it feel to have so much attention?
I haven't given it too much thought, really. I'm just going to take it as it comes and see what happens. I think a bit of fame will probably just be fun, and I won't mind it. But I still want to lead a normal life with my friends.

But all of this exposure does change things, doesn't it?
I really do have a normal life. I see my friends regularly, and I do the same schoolwork they do, even though I'm often tutored on the set. I rarely even get recognized, which is cool. I don't know, maybe that will change if a lot of people see the movie.

What do you do in what you call your normal life?
I love the WWF. I'm a huge fan of wrestling, and I used to watch it a lot before we started filming. My favorite wrestler is the Rock. I also like The Simpsons a lot. I like to listen to U2 and Stereophonics. I'm a big fan of football [soccer in the U.S.], and I'm rooting for my favorite team, Fulham.

Why do you think kids all over the world identify with Harry, and what in him do you admire?
I think the reason everybody identifies with him is because--other than that he's a wizard--he's a really normal person. Harry goes from being a zero to a hero--he goes from being nothing to somebody really huge and famous and very important in the wizard world. I think he has inspired a lot of people, including me.

Did your parents have fears about your making such a huge commitment?
They were never reluctant about my playing Harry Potter, but they did have some concern about my auditioning. When I've gone out for parts before, I've always gotten my hopes up really high, and they knew that I was going to be in competition with thousands of boys. They thought it was unlikely that I'd be chosen, and they didn't want me to be hugely upset.

Was the audition nerve-racking?
It was. I was asked to read the scene where the children find out Hagrid is hiding a contraband dragon's egg. I was totally scared out of my wits. It was so terrifying. You go in there with these really important people, and you really feel small. But they called me back for three more auditions.

I was also very nervous the first day on the set while I was sitting in makeup and they were putting the Harry Potter scar on my head. Up until then, I had just done read-throughs with a few people in the room. I realized I was about to step in front of camera with hundreds of people around.

Where were you when you found out you got the part?
In the bathtub. My dad came in and said, "Guess who they want to play Harry Potter?" I think I said the name of another actor, because I was sure it wasn't me. Then he said, "No, it's you," and I started to cry with joy. That night, I woke up at 2 in the morning and woke up mom and dad and asked, "Am I dreaming? Will I really play Harry Potter?"

You spent months with costars Rupert Grint and Emma Watson making the film. How did the three of you get along?
We bonded just like our characters. We all really like each other. The train-compartment scenes were the most fun, because it was just me, Rupert and Emma, surrounded by sweets, just laughing and joking the whole time.

Robbie Coltrane says you three were constantly playing practical jokes on him. Are you willing to confess?
Yes, I admit we did pull a few pranks. The hair and makeup lady had a label-making machine, and we printed out loads of labels that said "Kick me." Actually, it was my idea, and I typed them out, but Emma actually stuck them on Robbie's back. It took several kicks before Robbie figured out what was happening. Then I got Robbie's cell phone and changed the language on the menu from English to Turkish. Fortunately, he has a pretty good sense of humor.

What was your favorite special-effects scene?
It was very surreal playing quidditch. You see it in your mind so clearly when you're reading about it, and then you see it in the film, and it's just as exciting. It was amazing. We were going so fast on those broomsticks, and we were up pretty high. It was cool!

Which of Harry's magical powers would you like to have?
Invisibility. That would be so cool just to go anywhere without people seeing you. You could sneak into rock concerts and films and stuff. And I'd like to have Hagrid's three-head dog, because then nobody would try to fight me. I think I'd love to be a wizard in Harry's world, even though you have to face a lot of danger.

Do you believe in magic?
I've always believed in magic, a hundred percent. I'm fascinated by it.

The film has demons, monsters and an evil sorcerer, Voldemort, who killed Harry's parents and is now out to get him. Do you think it's too scary for young kids?

It's about a lot more than sorcery and monsters. It's about good winning over evil and the idea of redeeming love. It's the love of Harry's mother for him that saves him from Voldemort.

Do you remember the first time you performed for an audience?
I think my earliest memory of acting was playing a monkey in a school play, when I was about six. I had floppy ears and orange makeup and I had to wear tights. I think I went on and danced around for about 40 seconds or something. I hope nobody ever digs up a picture of me in that, because it was embarrassing.

You must be getting paid a lot of money. What do you plan to do with it?
I think I'll save it. I don't even know exactly how much I'm getting, and I don't want to, because I'm not doing it for the money. I'm really having fun and meeting wonderful people.

Now you're back doing the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. How was it to put on those glasses and be Harry again?
It's like coming back for another year at Hogwarts. We've become like a family. It's like a reunion. I'm more excited now than I was for the first film, because the second book is my favorite.

There are reports that you'll be doing all seven movies if you don't get too tall. How much have you grown since the film?
I think I've gone up about three or four inches. My voice has started changing a little, too, but I don't think anyone will notice.

If they decide you don't look Harry anymore, could anyone possibly replace you?
I think anyone could play Harry if they get the kind of support I've had.