Daniel Radcliffe Says He Likely Won’t Play Harry Potter Again, But Is Open To Other Franchises

Daniel Radcliffe has made a number of unusual role choices in the aftermath of his run as Harry Potter, the franchise role that jettisoned him to fame. The actor has starred in movies with crazy premises like Horns or Swiss Army Man and seemed to shy away from roles that are similar to the famous wizard he once played. Now, the actor has explained why he doesn’t see himself taking on the role of Harry Potter again. In an interview with Variety, he was asked whether he would consider returning to the franchise in one of the Fantastic Beasts films.

“I don’t think so. I don’t like to say no to things, but it’s not something that I’m rushing to do. I feel like those films have moved on and they’re doing just fine without us. I’m happy to keep it that way. I like what my life is now,” Radcliffe said in response.

Although it seems unlikely that Radcliffe will return to the Harry Potter universe, the actor said that he’s not opposed to working in another franchise.

“I’m not saying that I’ll never go back into any franchise, but I like the flexibility that I have with my career now. And I don’t want to get into a situation where I’m signed up for one series for years in advance,” he said.

As the 30-year-old actor explained, not being tied to a franchise allows you to make more choices on a year-to-year basis. The actor also said that, while he’s played plenty of strange characters in the years since Harry Potter, he doesn’t seek roles out because of their strangeness.

Instead, Radcliffe argued that people noticed his roles in projects like Guns Akimbo, in which he has two guns bolted to his hands, in part because he played the same character for so long. He also said that, for every film he takes on with an absurd premise, he also does others that are more grounded in reality.

While Radcliffe seems reluctant to rejoin the Harry Potter universe, there has been speculation for years that there would be a filmed adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which follows Harry’s children and features adult versions of many of the characters from the original series. According to reporting in Express, a filmed version of the two-part stage show is likely, but Tom Felton (who played Draco Malfoy) is reluctant to reprise his role. It seems Radcliffe could be in the same boat, which means that a movie version of the show may have to fill those roles with other actors.