When actors who are involved with major franchises –think the likes of Twilight films or Harry Potter or even The Hunger Games franchise – there is usually a period after the series ends where they are a hot commodity, able to sign on for whatever types of projects they wish. Some of these actors end up trying to do bigger budget movies whereas others tend to head to TV or appear in smaller, often more under-the-radar films.
Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter for eight movies after the turn of the century, ended up taking the latter path. Instead of trying to take bigger and bigger movies as he grew up and grew away from playing the kid with glasses and a lightning bolt scar, he instead gravitated toward projects that were odder and tested the limits of his acting. However, if you ask Radcliffe, it wasn’t a conscious decision to avoid the blockbuster circuit. He said in a recent interview:
It’s not a deliberate decision (to stay away from blockbuster films). I go where the scripts are. It’s hard to get anyone to spend money on (scripts that are) too big of a risk. A lot of the big studios, I find the scripts are not as challenging or weird or interesting as the stuff they make in the indie world or even in the TV world. So the things that I gravitate to, so far they just happen to be in the indie world.
Ahead of the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Daniel Radcliffe was already testing the limits with weird projects. He made headlines when he appeared in the long-running play Equus and was tasked with getting nude for the role.
As the Harry Potter movies were wrapping, Daniel Radcliffe took different types of indie roles. He played Allen Ginsburg in Kill Your Darlings. He played a corpse in Swiss Army Man. He played a pilot delivering illegal cargo in Beast of Burden.
The closest thing Daniel Radcliffe came to a blockbuster was taking a part in Now You See Me 2, and that movie wasn't exactly a critical success. (He also has a small role in Amy Schumer's more successful vehicle Trainwreck.)
In the interview with StarLifestyle, Daniel Radcliffe did reveal that he would be happy to be involved in another large movie one day, but for him, it’s really about finding the right role and going for it.
But if there’s something happening in the studios and I love the script, I would love to be a part of some crazy big movie. It’s just about waiting for the right script.
Sometimes it’s difficult to believe it has been eight years since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 graced the big screen. But in that time, the young cast especially has had to forge new paths. Daniel Radcliffe’s doing the indie thing, with roles on both TV and in movies. Rupert Grint has taken on a lot of TV, although he has occasional movie gigs. Evanna Lynch even just did Dancing with the Stars. Emma Watson probably has the biggest acting career of the kids in the cast, and she often chooses to forego acting for other humanitarian work; she is set for the Little Women remake.
These days, Daniel Radcliffe is a grown adult and kids have stopped recognizing him as Harry Potter. However, until he takes on another gigantic role as an adult, his time playing the young wizard will likely stick out as his most notable role for many. For now, you can catch the actor in the TV series Miracle Workers on TBS, also starring Steve Buscemi.
