Daniel Radcliffe Admits He’s Barely Touched His Earnings From ‘Harry Potter’
Daniel Radcliffe was catapulted into the spotlight when he played the role of The Boy Who Lived in 2001 at the age of 11. Fifteen years and eight blockbuster films later, he revealed to the Telegraph that he hasn’t really spent his £75 million (about $97 million) fortune from Harry Potter.
“I don’t really do anything with my money. I’m very grateful for it, because having money means you don’t have to worry about it, which is a very lovely freedom to have. It also gives me immense freedom career-wise.”
Daniel is grateful that because he no longer needs to worry about money, he has been able to fulfill his goals to act in various independent films such as Kill Your Darlings and The Woman in Black. He said he wants to devote his time to meaningful films and not spend his life creating ones that do not interest him.
The Horns actor is at his happiest when working in front of a camera.
“If someone told me tomorrow, ‘You’re never going back on set,’ I really wouldn’t know what to do with the rest of my life. I don’t know what my life looks like without regularly being on a film set. I’d go crazy. I’m one of the lucky few who loves my job.”
He further talked about the main challenge when growing up under the spotlight. For him, it’s not the temptation to do drugs that makes Tinseltown life the hardest, but the tendency to be confused about your identity.
“The difficulty is trying to work out who you are while constantly coming up against a perception of yourself that everybody else already has,” he explained. This is why Daniel makes sure not to let fame get into his head because it won’t last forever. His relationship with Erin Darke is another thing that keeps him grounded. The two have been enjoying a fairly private romance for three years now.
He will next appear in Imperium, where he plays the role of an FBI agent who disguises himself as a neo-Nazi. Daniel recently appeared in Swiss Army Man as a corpse. When he gets the time next year, he plans to write some stuff.
Some are wondering if the British actor is doing all these “obscure” things to get rid of his Harry Potter image. He told The Independent that it wasn’t the case because he would never want people to forget about that role because he’s “incredibly proud” of the films.
He maintains that he will always look back to Harry Potter with joy. He is happy that, by acting in smaller films, he gets “an undeserved amount of credit” because viewers can see that he’s capable of playing diverse things – something they haven’t realized when he was still a part of J.K. Rowling’s franchise.
Nevertheless, fans must not think that Daniel is eager to return as a wizard even if the project comes knocking 10 years from now. The press has repeatedly asked him about this on various red carpet events. Now that there’s a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play featuring an adult Harry, some wonder if Daniel might want to be Harry again if the West End production is ever translated to the big screen. He remains reluctant, although he mentions Harrison Ford who opted to play Han Solo again in Star Wars after 30 years.
Daniel’s lack of enthusiasm for another Harry Potter project stems from his belief that “some things are better left untouched.” He thinks that it’s risky to reopen a project, for doing so might ruin the story which many consider close to their hearts.
[Featured Image by Alexander Koerner/Getty Images]
