Some were likely surprised when Daniel Radcliffe was cast to play Weird Al Yankovic in the 2022 biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. It's fair to say the actor doesn't look like the satirist he portrayed. And despite having taken on varied roles following the completion of his run as Harry Potter, some may have expressed doubt about his commitment to silly material. However, he ultimately nailed the part, and according to the director Eric Appel, there are a few specific reasons why Radcliffe was the perfect actor for the role.
Eric Appel recently sat down with The Hollywood Reporter for an interview, during which he opened up about making the Weird Al biopic and captured the goofy persona of the satirical musician on screen. He revealed that Daniel Radcliffe was instrumental in capturing Yankovic’s essence, and the filmmaker revealed that he thought the actor was right for the role after seeing some of his lesser known projects outside of Potter. He said:
Obviously, like everyone, I was a fan of his from Harry Potter. His post-Harry Potter career has been full of bold, interesting, fun choices — Swiss Army Man, Horns, Guns Akimbo. I was like, ‘This guy must love comedy and weird things.’ And he played those roles very seriously. He treated them as dramatic roles, and that’s the main thing I was looking for. We have moments that are very sentimental, but it’s sentimental about something silly.
Daniel Radcliffe is wonderful in the role and truly dedicates himself to the absurdity of the script. It's quickly evident that he takes the role very seriously, and this can be attributed to the Swiss Army Man star’s love for the subject matter. He was a fan of Weird Al Yankovic’s before playing him, and that plays into the nerdy reason Yankovic wanted him to be cast. His performance earned him an Emmy nomination, and Weird as a whole was well regarded by critics. He doesn’t actually sing in the comedic biopic, which stemmed from a worry the creative team had early on. However, his attitude and character work is fully immersive, so he certainly makes up for it.
The biopic is one of many post-Potter projects Daniel Radcliffe has chosen that's distanced himself from the famous franchise he was a part of for many years. While once known for playing the lead role in the Harry Potter series, Radcliffe has turned his focus to quirky transformative roles that allow him to experiment as an actor. He played a corpse in Swiss Army Man, a survivalist in Jungle and a grieving widower in the horror for 2012’s The Woman In Black. These choices may have seem odd to fans, but Radcliffe’s interest in wide-ranging parts seemingly made him a perfect fit for the viral star..
Weird more than earns its name, as it takes big creative liberties with Yankovic’s origin story. Instead of telling an actual truthful musical biopic, it makes up several details and completely exaggerates the life of the comedian. It's perfectly suited for its subject matter, as Weird Al has made a career of parodying some of the biggest songs of all time. So it makes sense that he would also want to satirize his own story. The Lost City star perfectly captured the tone as leading man, showing off his comedy chops and range as an actor. Appel clearly saw something special in him, and the film was arguably better for that casting decision.
You can see Daniel Radcliffe in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which is streaming now on The Roku Channel. Fans should also check out some of Radcliffe’s other great projects outside of Harry Potter.
