Daniel Radcliffe Explains How the Roles of Harry Potter and Edward Cullen Are Similar

Daniel Radcliffe and Robert Pattinson have certainly had some interesting parallels in their careers. No doubt fans recall that the pair starred opposite each other in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. However, Pattinson, like Radcliffe, would go on to co-lead his own wildly-successful film franchise by playing Edward Cullen in Twilight. But neither actor has been defined by their most famous character, nor do they seem to have let the fame and wealth they accrued from their role go to their heads.

Daniel Radcliffe never seemed to let his fame get to him

Radcliffe was only 11 when his entire life changed, and he beat out thousands for the role of Harry Potter. But despite the amount of attention he received at a young age, he managed to stay pretty grounded. But how did the December Boys star manage this? According to Radcliffe, he realized early on that people were enamored with the role of the boy who lived, rather than just him.

Radcliffe had an epiphany about Harry Potter early on

“Whoever had been cast as Harry would have been receiving that attention,” Radcliffe explained to Collider. “Anybody who would have been cast in this iconic role would have been getting that sort of attention. So you have to realize that it’s not because it’s you, it’s because it’s an iconic role. It’s interesting.”

Robert Pattinson adjusted to the fame ‘Twilight’ brought him very quickly

Continuing on, Radcliffe explained that the characters of Harry Potter and Edward Cullen were similar in that way. They were so beloved prior to any actor stepping into them, that were going to yield massive amounts of love and attention either way. This is something that Pattinson recognized early on also, which is perhaps the reason that he adjusted so well to his Twilight fame.

Radcliffe explains how the roles of Harry Potter and Edward Cullen are similar

“Before Robert had even been cast, he went to a reading of the book with Stephanie Meyer, and when Stephanie Myer said the name Edward Cullen, the audience went nuts and screaming,” Radcliffe explained. “And, you know, people were in love with that character. So whoever was going to step into that role was going to have a pretty crazy life for the next few years. I think it’s the same with Harry.  It doesn’t really matter, in a way, who it is.  If you are filling those shoes, then you are going to get a pretty wild reception.”

That realization likely helped both Radcliffe and Pattinson when the attention they received from their respective franchises died down a bit. By contrast, Pattison’s Twilight co-star Taylor Lautner (who portrayed Jacob Black) didn’t seem to have the same initial understanding as Pattinson and Radcliffe. In fact, he started questioning if people still cared about him after the Twilight mania wained. It certainly seems like having perspective about a character’s popularity can help the actor to navigate the attention they receive from it.