For over a decade of Daniel Radcliffe’s life, the actor played Harry Potter and fans of the beloved franchise got to see him grow up on the big screen. Nowadays, Radcliffe may be years removed from playing “the boy who lived,” but all the Harry Potter movies continue to be rediscovered by new generations. When the 34-year-old British actor was recently asked about the latest fans of the Wizarding World, he had a rather hilarious take on it.
The Harry Potter movies are old enough that Daniel Radcliffe is currently raising his own first child while starring in Broadway’s Merrily We Roll Along. When the actor was asked by Seth Meyers about how young fans of the fantasy movies see him today, here’s how he reacted:
It often tilts wildly disappointed, especially because if they're very young kids they've probably only seen maybe the first one or two films. So, they have a parent who is my age who is like 'It's Harry Potter!' And the kid is like 'It is not! This man is old.' Yeah, I'm thinking I have that effect on a lot of kids.
Imagine watching the first couple Harry Potter movies as a kid and then being presented with the actor who is now twenty years older, and notably not wearing glasses or a lightning bolt scar? You wouldn’t be impressed would you? That’s apparently the reaction Daniel Radcliffe often gets when it comes to new and young fans of the series when their parents (who probably grew up around when Radcliffe did), meet him. You can check out Radcliffe talking about the subject while on a Late Night With Seth Meyers’ segment:
Radcliffe got his start in Harry Potter at the age of 11 when he auditioned for the part and earned it alongside Rupert Grint’s Ron Weasley, Emma Watson’s Hermione Granger and the rest of the franchise’s incredible cast. The actor wrapped production on the two films in 2010, just ahead of his 21st birthday. Daniel Radcliffe reportedly was a millionaire a few times over by the time he was done playing Harry Potter. Since theen, the actor has been doing a breadth of different roles. One Harry Potter director David Yates called Radcliffe “fearless” and “admirable” for the acting choices he has made post-Potter.
While Daniel Radcliffe’s comments are funny to hear, the actor really has aged well for being away from the franchise for over ten years at this point! Sure, young kids may not appreciate it, but he is and will forever be the first actor who portrayed Harry Potter, and that’s worth stopping on the street in amazement for those who do cross paths with him. Of course, let the man enjoy his life out in public as well if you are so lucky!
You can stream the Harry Potter movies now – with either a Max subscription or Peacock subscription.