There are few properties quite as beloved as Harry Potter. Over the years, J.K. Rowling's books have been adapted for theme parks, video games, stage plays, and (of course) the eight-film movie franchise (which can be streamed with a Max subscription). The iconic cast of Harry Potter grew up before our eyes, especially its trio of leading actors. Daniel Radcliffe was playing Harry for fun, but he shares the aha moment making the films that led him to want to become a serious actor. Let's break it all down.
Daniel Radcliffe played The Boy Who Lived through all eight of the Harry Potter movies, a role he'll likely always be synonymous with. But in the years since the franchise ended, he's taken on a number of challenging film and TV roles, as well as five Broadway shows (including Merrily We Roll Along). While appearing on CBS Mornings, the 34 year-old actor revealed when things really clicked for him at Hogwarts. In his words:
I think it was around the third Harry Potter film where I really started thinking ‘Okay, I love this. I love being in this world. I wanna try and continue that for the rest of my life.
While fans like ranking the Harry Potter movies based on which one was the most thrilling, Radcliffe and the rest of the company have their own opinion. And it sounds like the third movie Prisoner of Azkaban sticks out as the one that made him realize he wanted to be an actor for the long haul. In the end, he was able to do just that.
Later in that same interview, Radcliffe further explained why he loves being an actor in both film and theater. Namely because of how much collaboration goes into both industries, as he shared:
I think being on a film set, or on stage but I think it’s even more true for film because of the huge amounts of disciplines that go into making a film. You were just in the middle of hundreds of people all pushing together in a creative act. And that’s an incredibly exciting thing to be in the middle of. There’s community onset and in theater. You’re part of a team and I’ve always loved that environment.
By taking such different roles throughout the years, Radcliffe has proven himself as wildly versatile and much more than simply Harry Potter. And now that he's got a Tony Award, it should be interesting to see what comes next.
Of course, Potterheads are hoping that Radcliffe reprises his role as Harry Potter for a film adaptation of The Cursed Child plays. But there's no plans for that movie to come together at the time of writing this story, so for now that's just a fan theory.
The Harry Potter franchise is streaming in its entirety on Max. While we wait for news about its future, check the 2025 movie release dates.
