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Dirty Harry
They’d just bugger each other.
Well, I didn’t go to a boarding school if that’s what you’re getting at. That’s one thing Harry Potter has done if nothing else. It has restored the reputation of the English boarding school.It has made it something other than a hotbed of homosexuality. Every time a new Harry Potter book comes out, the numbers at English boarding schools go up.
There is a whole genre of literature that centers on the orphaned. Your first role at nine was David Copperfield. There’s Oliver Twist. Jane Eyre. Faulkner’s Light in August. Almost every superhero. What’s your theory as to why the genre is so enduring since Harry is perhaps the most famous orphan in all of literature?
I suppose it’s because we love the underdog. I saw James Carville talking on television and he said a fantastic thing. It was during the last days of John McCain’s campaign. I got hooked on political coverage during the campaign. I love that Joe Scarborough chap. Do you watch Morning Joe? I quite like him. What is it he says? “American by luck. Southern by the grace of God.” That’s great phrase-making.
But back to Carville and orphans. He said that McCain should come out as the underdog. He said Americans love an underdog, but they hate a loser. And for an orphan, from the earliest, most basic, most primitive part of your life, things have gone against you. Everything we know about how people work and are successful, in the conventional sense, starts with family. So the notion is for that to be taken out of the picture one has to work doubly hard to achieve things. It is odd that almost every role I’ve played has been a kid who comes from a screwed-up family background because I have had such the opposite of that.
You are an only child who attained worldwide fame at a very early age. Fame itself has become a presence in your life. I’m sure you have a love/hate relationship with it. In that sense, did fame become your sibling?
It’s not so much the fame thing as it is the person you are when you are in front of an audience or, well, being interviewed.
So you have become your own sibling?
I guess in a way, yeah because you develop two personas. It’s not even a conscious thing. Something happens. Like when I did Inside the Actor’s Studio. Adrenalin hits you and your mind starts working very, very fast. People always say to me, “Oh, you’re so funny in interviews.” And I go, Well, I’m not really in real life particularly. That’s what fame does to you. You acquire another self.
Have you contacted your co-star in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix—Robert Pattinson—to give him any advice about his own sudden fame because of the Twilight films? He was once quoted as saying that if given a choice between himself and you, that girls would choose you every time.
I don’t have his number, so haven’t spoken to him. But I can safely say that his insisting that girls would choose me over him that they would not. That they do not. He is the much prettier and can be much more charming. And he can do that thing of being sultry and sexy.
You’re sexy, Daniel. Come on. Own it.
I can’t!
John Talks Joe
Lloyd Grove is editor at large for The Daily Beast. He is also a frequent contributor to New York magazine and was a contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio. He wrote a gossip column for the New York Daily News from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he wrote the Reliable Source column for the Washington Post, where he spent 23 years covering politics, the media, and other subjects.
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Lee Siegel has written about culture and politics and is the author of three books: Falling Upwards: Essays in Defense of the Imagination; Not Remotely Controlled: Notes on Television; and, most recently, Against the Machine: Being Human in the Age of the Electronic Mob. In 2002, he received a National Magazine Award for reviews and criticism.
Carrie Fisher's Crowning Moment
Kevin Sessums is the author of the New York Times bestseller Mississippi Sissy, a memoir of his childhood. He was executive editor of Andy Warhol's Interview magazine and a contributing editor of Vanity Fair and Allure. He is a contributing editor of Parade. His new memoir, I Left It on Mountain will be published by St. Martins Press.
Daniel Radcliffe: Dirty Harry
Kevin Sessums is the author of the New York Times bestseller Mississippi Sissy, a memoir of his childhood. He was executive editor of Andy Warhol's Interview magazine and a contributing editor of Vanity Fair and Allure. He is a contributing editor of Parade. His new memoir, I Left It on Mountain will be published by St. Martins Press.
Daniel Radcliffe, Dark Prince
Kevin Sessums is the author of the New York Times bestseller Mississippi Sissy, a memoir of his childhood. He was executive editor of Andy Warhol's Interview magazine and a contributing editor of Vanity Fair and Allure. He is a contributing editor of Parade. His new memoir, I Left It on Mountain will be published by St. Martins Press.
What a great interview! He sounds like a charming, intelligent, and articulate young man. And I must say that I share his desire to shag Dame Diana Rigg, although Dame Judi Dench is equally at the top of that list. :)
Good luck on a great career, Mr. Radcliffe.
Sounds like a proper British gentleman, with a little imp peeking out from time to time. If you are homesick, Mr. Radcliffe, may I recommend reading Dorothy Dunnett's books?
Break a leg, sir. Looking forward to more of your work!
..lots of common sense, gratitute, kindness, etc..he is a bright man with his feet on the ground. Wonderful!!!
Nice kid... reminds me of my own sons.
Wow! What a bright kid! Are our kids as bright? I'm looking forward to seeing more from this wonderful actor as a grown man. I hope he will pick out brilliant intelligent roles so the kids who grew up with him will find some enlightenment by being his fan. Happy I am that they have discovered magic through Harry.
Excuse me, Kevin -- Did you just diss Mr. Radcliffe for reading the incomparable P.G. Wodehouse? That man could pack more wit into the period at the end of a sentence than you could in library of books. I would have followed-up asking him if he was also a fan of Douglas Adams, who idolized Wodehouse and had a skeptical view of religion, class, and British governance.
Between that and your horrid "sperm washing" piece, you're really starting to grate.
Well, that, and I'm just jealous you got to chat with one of the most charming straight theatrical actors I've ever read about (or is that only straight theatrical actor?).
Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson's character) was dead in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He only appeared in Goblet of Fire. Otherwise, great interview. I always learn a little something new from interviews with Dan.
As someone who is the same age as Dan, I can assure you that their are plenty of American kids who are just as bright. We didn't all sleep through election day, and we are not a bunch of lazy alcoholics. I'm sure you meant your question in the most polite way possible, but I just had to stand up for my generation.
Impressive. Smart, articulate and able to speak in long complex sentences. Would that American celebs could master those traits...
This is one of the best interviews I've ever read. Impressive stuff.
Smart dude
I just watched the interview with Daniel Radcliffe, IMO, one of the best and brightest of today's actors. My daughter, who is a couple of years older than Daniel, brought home the "Harry Potter" books and together, we read and saw the films, and got hooked! My daughter, naturally, developed a crush on Harry though not at first; she crushed on Draco Malfoy first! From my POV, as a mother, I wanted to gather Harry up and adopt him! Take him away from those nasty Dursley's!
And as an author, I have two historical novels published, I'd love to see Daniel become the lead from my second novel..."Journey of Courage." JOC deals with a young husband who stutters, and the story takes both him and his bride to hell and back again, both physically and mentally. So, if anyone would like to get this message to Daniel: I'll send you a copy of the book, and I've also adapted a screenplay which is titled "Shattered Mind" - the original title of my book. When it came time to print, my publisher, PublishAmerica, had another author's novel coming out with the word "Shattered" in it; henceforth, my new title. I know Daniel has signed on to play Dan Eldon in the "Journey" film; I just wanted to make him aware that my film, when sold, will have my original title.
I know I'm wordy...guess that's why I'm a writer!!!
I never got a chance to see Equus although I would have liked to. Finances and our economy here, you know. My daughter, Amanda, auditioned for the play here in CA; a small theater in Fullerton put on a production. Amanda was brilliant, according to the director and producer; however, she is very petite and though she was 19 at the time, she looks younger. And given that the theater was small and intimate, the director felt Amanda's youthful appearance would be a distraction. But it was nice to know how much they appreciated her talent and her exuberance, and willingness to be adventurous. She will be attending California State University of Fullerton this semester, majoring in theater arts. She's been doing community theater since she was six; something she picked out. It's been a great thing for her; her Dad passed away when she was nine and the acting, and other facets of theater life, proved to be an excellent outlet for her.
At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed the interview and hope all the best for Daniel in the coming years. I am a literary agent as well and am about to contact the Coen Brothers for one of my clients. Who knows? Perhaps they will buy the project and cast Daniel! Hint: it is a dark comedy with the twists the Coen Brothers are famous for!
Thank you again for posting this interview. All the best for you as well!
Charlotte "Charlie" Fox
Hmmm, this interview was interesting and unexpected. I'll hate to see the Potter films come to an end though.
Thank you.
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