FILM

As the Potter franchise (almost) reaches its climax, Venue quizzes its bespectacled star Daniel Radcliffe about a magical  legacy.

Now that the Harry Potter franchise is drawing to an end, what everybody wants to know from young master Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe, is what it feels like to say farewell to a role that's occupied his entire adolescence. Alas, now that 'The Deadly Hallows' has been split in two so as to separate muggles from even more of their pocket money next year, the poor chap will be answering the same question all over again in six months' time. Still, one wouldn't want to disappoint him. And he's got a pretty excellent answer worked out:

"I was fortunate enough to have a very good education, and I went to lots of English private boys’ schools. Very white middle-class places. And suddenly, being brought onto Potter, I was plunged into a world where you have people from every conceivable background. And I think it just broadened my worldview so much more, having been exposed to that. I think it made me more rounded as a person than I otherwise would’ve been. And in terms of moving on, that sets you up for life, having that grounding in reality and not just thinking that everybody you’ll ever meet is white and privileged. And also I think working on Harry Potter gave me a tremendous work ethic. I love to work. I would’ve got that anyway from my parents, because my parents are both very hard workers. But I definitely think that this was an important part for me."

He's also had plenty of time to reflect on what has made Potter such a phenomenon. "There are so many things. It’s the latest in a very rich history of orphan literature. Being an orphan starts you off as an underdog in life. You haven’t got the thing that most people think of as the most basic requirement of growing up – which are your parents. And for a character like Harry to prove that is not true, and that you can survive and become great without having that great start, is something that appeals to people. Combine that with an intricately worked out logic to the world of magic, which people can understand. Rather than it being random magic, there are rules within it, which I think people quite like. And it has embedded itself in the consciousness of about three generations. It’s become a part of everybody’s collective understanding of the world."

Radcliffe says he intends to continue acting, "as long as I keep finding employment". Currently, there's no shortage of outlets for his talents. Next spring, he'll be singing and dancing on Broadway in the revival of 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying' ("Singing I'm not so worried about… But dancing's a lot harder"). And right now he's in the middle of filming the second production to be released under the revived Hammer banner (after 'Let Me In'): James ('Eden Lake') Watkins' adaptation of Susan Hill's 'The Woman in Black', which was previously filmed as a TV movie back in 1989. "I’m playing a father and a widower – two things I don’t have direct experience of. Although I absolutely love kids. I think they’re amazing and I can’t wait to have some – but I will wait! So, yeah, I am excited about that. I think it’s one of the great challenges, to get people to buy me as something else."

That said, he's already done 'Equus' on stage to great acclaim. "Yes, and when people say, ‘Are you worried about being typecast?’ – well, I haven’t been so far. 'Equus' is quite a leap from Harry Potter. But I think one of the challenges will be to get people to see me as an actor rather than just one character. And to a certain extent, some people will always see me as this character. But the minute you accept that, it frees you slightly. As long as the people that see me forever as Harry aren’t casting directors, other actor and directors, I should be fine in getting other different jobs."

On that cheering note, let's return to those obligatory Potter questions. What's he going to miss most about being Harry Potter? "The thing that people underrate about being an actor, and particularly about being an actor in a franchise like this, is that you get to do things other actors never do. For instance, in the sixth film, I burst out of the surface of the water surrounded by a ring of fire. I could act for another hundred years and never get to do that again. I got to slide down a 40-foot roof on Potter Four. These are things that I will miss a lot. You get to do extraordinary things when you’re playing an action hero. So I will miss that."

And what's he going to miss the least? "I won’t miss Quidditch at all. That’s one thing I can say goodbye to quite happily."

'HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 1' OPENED ON FRI 19 NOV. FOR REVIEW, CLICK HERE.
  

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