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Awkward middle school years forever preserved on film and displayed for eternity to international audiences? No thank you!

Most of us would cringe at just a glimpse of our 7th-grade school photo, but Daniel Radcliffe has eight films in the Harry Potter franchise documenting his adolescence.

Being tossed into superstardom at such an early age often is the beginning of the end of child actors, but in interview after interview, Radcliffe gives Hogwarts credit for giving him the boost needed to have a career that he truly loves, although he admits he would not necessarily like to play Harry Potter again should the franchise reboot. 

Pursuing acting

Radcliffe has regularly been quoted, noting that he feels most comfortable on the sets of his latest projects. This is lucky since his career was laid out for him by the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

He claims that it was on the set of the first Harry Potter movie The Sorcerer’s Stone when he realized this was the career for him. The conclusion came to him abruptly; the actor acknowledges that was when he realized “I really wanna do this…I realized I wanna pursue acting.”

A regretful wizard?

In an interview with Sam Jones, Radcliffe assures us that he definitely does not regret his time as Harry Potter. “There was never a point where I was like, oh I wish this hadn’t happened to me, I wish I wasn’t Harry Potter.”

But taking the role of a famous wizard at only 12 years old definitely took its toll on the young actor. It was stressful to be suddenly a household name and unable to do things that other teenagers could easily do, like attend night clubs and spend time at the mall.

His instant fame led to him seeking out refuge in alcohol, too much alcohol.

Luckily for Radcliffe, his fame as Harry Potter doesn’t keep him tied to that one role forever, as he’s branched out in adulthood. His resume now includes voice-overs, Broadway plays and psychological thrillers in addition to the childhood classic tales of wizardry. 

His favorite childhood show

Radcliff says he is genuinely very honored when someone comes up to him and says “you were a huge part of my childhood,” because this is a sentiment he really understands. For him, it was the iconic family The Simpsons which holds a soft spot in his heart.

He’s been happy to be a part of The Simpson’s long-running cartoon series on three separate occasions, and unabashedly admits he’d like to do it again. “To hear myself coming out of a Simpson’s character was pretty much the pinnacle of my young life.”

Fans still adore him

It “would be kind of sad to look back on a huge part of your life and not embrace it,” which is why Radcliffe is still proud of his Harry Potter fame as he matures in his acting career.

He still has people in their twenties approach him to tell him what an important role he played for them in the story of their childhoods, and families that bring their children up to him to show them that “this is Harry Potter”, although as he ages he gets less recognition from the younger crowds.

But, as he overcomes his constant fame as “the boy who lived” he is happy to take on other, meaningful roles as well. 

What’s next for Daniel Radcliffe?

Radcliffe has really been loving his career lately and is particularly proud of his recent stage performances because he loves being a part of live theater. Most recently he starred in the 90-minute Broadway play The Lifespan of a Fact.

His other work this year has been on the TBS comedy Miracle Workers, and filming in South Australia for his upcoming movie, Escape from Pretoria. 

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