Harry Potter fame Daniel Radcliffe is no doubt one of the most well-known and popular actors in the world. And the credit all goes to his wonderful performance in the Wizard-Fantasy franchise. While he has done a remarkable job since Harry Potter ended, his career continues to be dominated by it.
Despite the success and fame he has received, Radcliffe was all set to quit acting before he was cast as the wizard prodigy.
Daniel Radcliffe Almost Quit Acting Before Harry Potter Fame
Daniel Radcliffe, despite never having attended a film school, showcased an excellent talent for acting from a young age. He has now established himself as a versatile and captivating artist. However, the Harry Potter star almost quit acting before being cast in his most popular role.
The casting director, Janet Hirshenson revealed that it was really difficult to find the perfect ‘Harry’ due to J.K. Rowlings’ numerous requirements. While Radcliffe checked all the boxes, he didn’t have the right eyes. Despite this, Chris Columbus had his eyes set on the star after having seen him in David Copperfield.
But then the main problem arose, the Swiss Army Man fame had already decided to quit acting as Hirshenson revealed.
“He just wasn’t interested. He didn’t want to be an actor anymore.”
To convince Radcliffe to audition, the producer of the film, David Heyman took matters into his own hands.
“One evening, David Heyman, the producer, went to the theater and he knew Daniel’s father, who was an agent … so the producer ran into Daniel and his dad and said to Daniel, ‘Why don’t you come in and audition? Think about it.’ So he said, ‘OK.’”
And among numerous other actors and the final choice coming down to two actors, Radcliffe was finally cast due to him having the perfect amount of vulnerability and power that was required.
Harry Potter Made Daniel Radcliffe Realize He Wanted To Keep Acting
After nearly quitting showbiz before his most popular role, being on the Harry Potter sets made Daniel Radcliffe realize that he truly wanted to be an actor. Being surrounded by some of the greatest artists on the planet for years was what made the Kill Your Darlings star realize his love for the craft.
“Those moments were…it was definitely around that time, working with Gary [Oldman]. And also, the confidence that Gary gave me, because he was really supportive and really great to work with. I thought, ‘I want to work with more people like you. I don’t want to walk away from this. I don’t want this suddenly to end and suddenly for me not to be in this industry.’”
And that is how Daniel Radcliffe became the captivating performer he is today.
The Harry Potter franchise can be streamed on Amazon Prime.
