Daniel Radcliffe: It’s ridiculous that it’s been talked about so much. The drinking was unhealthy and damaging to my body and my social life. That’s beyond question. I was living in constant fear of who I’d meet, what I might have said to them, what I might have done with them, so I’d stay in my apartment for days and drink alone. I was a recluse at 20. It was pathetic — it wasn’t me. I’m a fun, polite person and it turned me into a rude bore. For a long time people were saying to me, “We think you have a problem,” but in the end I had to come to the realisation myself.
Gary Oldman - who you worked with on the Potter films - has been through similar things. Did you ever confide in him?
Daniel: I did talk to him about it once. I didn’t say I had a problem — because I didn’t think I did at that point — but I told him I shared that mentality he had for actively seeking out chaos. He just said, “You can’t keep doing this. You’ve got too much to lose.” And that really went in. But not even he could have stopped me alone — I had to stop myself. And stopping has shown me a world of happiness that I didn’t think was possible.
Was there ever a point when you regretted signing up to Potter?
Daniel: There was a time after the third film when I thought about quitting. It was only for a second, but I thought, “If I do the fourth, I’ll have to do them all,” and that seemed quite daunting. If I was going to leave, that would have been the perfect time because it would have given whoever came in to play Harry enough films to establish himself properly. It wouldn’t have totally dumped him. But then I started thinking, “What other good parts are there for 15-year-olds? None.”
Is it still impossible for you to leave the house and not get mobbed by Potter fans?
Daniel: Pretty much. Halloween is my favourite time of year because it’s completely acceptable to wear a mask [laughs]. I go out on Halloween with a mask on, and it’s amazing to be able to walk around with my head up and not worry about making eye contact with people.
You don't fancy another big franchise, such as Bond, then?
Daniel: I’d like to be in the new one, with Sam Mendes directing. But I don’t know if I’d be any good as Bond. I definitely wouldn’t want to follow Daniel Craig.
You'd need a rubbish Bond in-between to lower expectations...
Daniel: [Laughs] Exactly. I’ll let someone else have a go first. Erm… who’d be terrible as Bond?
Someone like Paul Giamatti would change the pace a bit...
Daniel: Yeah, absolutely, he’d take it in a totally different direction. His Bond would just be sat at a desk, continually doing paperwork [laughs].
Daniel Radcliffe photoshoot picture. promoting women in back
Daniel Radcliffe photoshoot picture
So what’s your typical day when you’re not sitting in diners with people like me?
Daniel: I read, I play Madden on Xbox, I check and revise my fantasy football team as well as doing a lot of the search about the NFL. I love the NFL. I’m obsessed.
Was there ever a moment when you were like, "Screw it all?"
Daniel: Certainly there were times where I was overwhelmed by it, absolutely... but it’s more a case of feeling like a fraud, that feeling and that sense of you know…you have to be quite philosophical about luck, because when you get so lucky so young, to get that part…it’s…kind of always hard to cope with that, because you feel guilty. Because there’s so many people that don’t get that lucky, ever, so I think the way I kind of justify it is that if you get lucky, then you have to work really, really hard to retroactively earn your luck.
Like major pop…Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry?
Daniel: Okay, Katy Perry is a very hard issue for me because while I’m not a big fan of the music, she’s so hot. Like…if there is one woman, that would be my… well actually, I avoided saying this earlier to save awkwardness but Tina Fey and Katy Perry are my two celebrity crushes. I don’t really love Katy Perry's music at all, but she’s hot... What can’t I listen to? I struggle with Bieber, I really do. When it comes on the radio…Black Eyed Peas, fine. People like to dance to it, it does my head in, but fine. It’s not offensive. You know what actually gets me worked up? I don’t mind all that hubby, puppy dog crap, that’s fine, that’s their choice, but it’s when there’s some whiny moan-y overly good-looking person with an acoustic guitar singing in that kind of boring way. Everyone sounds the same.
Like the James Blunt phenomenon?
Daniel: There’s now this trend that’s more worrying to me - these female singer acts that pretend to be indie when actually they’re just turning out terrible pop music on the guise of being an indie band, and they’ve been manufactured by a label... Labels are looking for the attractive girl singer with a kind of ethereal look. and then a big soulful voice, and now they’re turning them out. I find those things frustrating, because then suddenly on the good radio station that I listen to, something by them will get on and I’m like, "No! You’ve tricked that radio station! They think you’re some little act but you’re not! You’re just phony!" Having said that, I’m sure people will say all this about me in a different context.
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