Daniel Radcliffe is leaving a certain boy wizard behind. By Lucy Foster.source: shortlist.com
The first thing that strikes you when meeting Daniel Radcliffe is just how small he is. And in some ways, this is very comforting. After all, he is Harry Potter – a growing lad, no less. He could wear a gorilla suit for the rest of his life and most people would still see a pair of glasses and a wand. But it’s quite confusing when you realise that this famous schoolboy, who when ShortList meets him is rather pale after a long-haul flight earlier that morning, is actually a man.
A real grown-up man – now 23 – who is interesting, eloquent, passionate about his work and good, unguarded company. This all sounds horribly patronising, but that’s not the intention. You just don’t expect child stars to turn into well-adjusted, sensible adults who make diverse acting choices.
“I don’t think there’s any reason that I should have to do any crap,” he says, frankly. “There was a period where, because I wasn’t doing anything controversial, the British papers were trying to screw me up by implying that I was going to be in a remake of All Creatures Great And Small.”
So, if crap work and tweedy veterinarians are off the menu, what’s on it? Well, there’s blood, bleak humour and the grim business of primitive amputation for starters.
Blood and addiction
We’re meeting Radcliffe to discuss A Young Doctor’s Notebook, a four-part Sky Arts series based on the semi-autobiographical novel by Mikhail Bulgakov (of The Master And Margarita fame). Radcliffe plays a young physician who’s gone from university into the ravages of revolutionary Russia. Jon Hamm plays an older version of Radcliffe, who visits his younger self to try to keep him from succumbing to drug addiction. “It’s hard to explain this show,” says Radcliffe. “You start saying it’s about a Russian doctor in 1917 operating on people for the first time and then he eventually gets addicted to morphine. But I promise it’s a comedy. What’s unique about it is this combination of gruesome blood and a heart-breaking journey into addiction.”
That’s not the only unique thing: you’ve probably never seen Don Draper and Harry Potter sharing a bath before or two such eminent actors – of such different sizes – having a full-scale fight. “I’m surprisingly robust,” says Radcliffe. “I’ve been training with the stunt department since I was 12 – I love all that. And I’m pleased because I gave Jon a good punch. I came out of it quite well.”
Amputations, tracheostomies and tooth extractions also feature as Radcliffe’s graduate doctor struggles to deal with his lack of experience amid spraying blood. Viewers aren’t spared any of the more lurid aspects of early-20th-century medicine. There was a medical consultant on set, but the surgery in 1917 rural Russia was so rudimentary, an odd-job man with a hacksaw would have been as good an advisor as any. There are no jitters from Radcliffe about how Hogwarts devotees will view the flying viscera and filthy humour. “It’s not about shocking people for shock’s sake, it’s about doing good work and things that interest and excite me,” he reasons.
“I mean, I played a guy who simulated sex on the back of a horse [in Equus] when I was 17, and [Harry Potter fans] were fine with that.” Radcliffe clearly lapped up the darker elements of this latest job. And if nothing else, he came away from it with a new appreciation of the intricacies of sawing through someone’s leg: “You assume once you’re through the bone, the bulk of your work is done, but actually there’s a huge chunk of muscle and fat as well,” he kindly shares. If you’re eating lunch, we can only apologise.
Acting hero
The London-born actor has always been a wise head on young shoulders and A Young Doctor’s Notebook is the latest shrewd attempt to ape the career of a fellow diminutive actor. “The person I’ve been looking at is Dustin Hoffman,” he admits. “In fact, I passed him the other day and he is absolutely on the shorter side, as am I. But he was in all those great roles, from action thrillers to romantic stuff. So there is a way of doing it unconventionally if you don’t necessarily look like the 6ft romantic lead.”
Radcliffe’s first major dalliance with unconventionality was, of course, the aforementioned, um, horseplay in Equus. Then last year, he completed an 11-month stint on Broadway in How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. He notched several awards – but not a Tony. “I wasn’t nominated and everyone kept asking if I was OK,” laughs Radcliffe. “It was like I’d lost a f*cking relative. In America, people are more openly [in pursuit of] awards. As lovely as awards are, I don’t get caught up in it.”
And why would he? A month after he wrapped up his run on Broadway, the Radcliffe-starring Edwardian chiller The Woman In Black became the most successful British horror film in 20 years. Inevitably, he’s been linked to a part in a similarly gothic reimagining of Frankenstein, this time as the doctor’s humpbacked assistant, a role he’s being frustratingly coy about. “It’s something I’d be interested in,” is the most he’ll give us, but it’s clear he has a work ethic you might not expect in an outrageously wealthy twenty-something. “Doing Equus was important,” he explains. “It showed people that I wasn’t just here to capitalise on the Potter fame for as long as I could. I think ultimately, I’m ambitious because I want to prove everyone wrong who thinks that it’s impossible to emerge from Harry Potter and do well.”
For his next move, he’s dusted down his US accent for an indie ode to the Beatnik poets, called Kill Your Darlings, in which he plays Allen Ginsberg. So, to research the part, they obviously sat around in cafés doing speed, right? “We weren’t hopped-up all the time,” he laughs. “But what was great was that Dane (DeHaan – who plays Lucien Carr), Ben (Foster – William Burroughs) and Jack (Huston – Jack Kerouac) went for a gang mentality. We sat around, had a laugh, and got to know each other in 25 days.
“The script was one of the best I’ve read. There was a sense that if we could just film this, then we’d have to go a long way to f*ck it up. And we’ve improved it by virtue of the way it was filmed – in a guerrilla style.”
This brand of filmmaking provided an opportunity for a well-adjusted boy millionaire to engage in the sort of theatrics you’d expect from students rather than A-list stars. “We were kicked out of Columbia University at 4am in the morning,” Radcliffe laughs. “We were running through the campus trying to knock off one last shot before we got expelled from the premises. These drunk college kids were just like, ‘What the f*ck?’ And I was in Ginsberg gear with a perm.”
There’s hope for him yet.
Archive
-
►
2021
(24)
- ► February 2021 (18)
- ► January 2021 (6)
-
►
2020
(249)
- ► December 2020 (11)
- ► November 2020 (6)
- ► October 2020 (5)
- ► September 2020 (8)
- ► August 2020 (11)
- ► April 2020 (22)
- ► March 2020 (50)
- ► February 2020 (41)
- ► January 2020 (33)
-
►
2019
(207)
- ► December 2019 (17)
- ► November 2019 (13)
- ► October 2019 (6)
- ► September 2019 (18)
- ► August 2019 (17)
- ► April 2019 (16)
- ► March 2019 (24)
- ► February 2019 (44)
- ► January 2019 (11)
-
►
2018
(191)
- ► December 2018 (18)
- ► November 2018 (11)
- ► October 2018 (28)
- ► September 2018 (18)
- ► August 2018 (14)
- ► April 2018 (7)
- ► March 2018 (10)
- ► February 2018 (24)
- ► January 2018 (14)
-
►
2017
(162)
- ► December 2017 (10)
- ► November 2017 (10)
- ► October 2017 (43)
- ► September 2017 (20)
- ► August 2017 (10)
- ► April 2017 (13)
- ► March 2017 (9)
- ► February 2017 (12)
- ► January 2017 (9)
-
►
2016
(303)
- ► December 2016 (7)
- ► November 2016 (12)
- ► October 2016 (31)
- ► September 2016 (49)
- ► August 2016 (37)
- ► April 2016 (16)
- ► March 2016 (17)
- ► February 2016 (11)
- ► January 2016 (18)
-
►
2015
(159)
- ► December 2015 (17)
- ► November 2015 (53)
- ► October 2015 (13)
- ► September 2015 (19)
- ► August 2015 (8)
- ► April 2015 (7)
- ► March 2015 (9)
- ► February 2015 (4)
- ► January 2015 (4)
-
►
2014
(317)
- ► December 2014 (8)
- ► November 2014 (18)
- ► October 2014 (32)
- ► September 2014 (19)
- ► August 2014 (78)
- ► April 2014 (34)
- ► March 2014 (16)
- ► February 2014 (8)
- ► January 2014 (11)
-
►
2013
(279)
- ► December 2013 (25)
- ► November 2013 (34)
- ► October 2013 (56)
- ► September 2013 (50)
- ► August 2013 (6)
- ► April 2013 (8)
- ► March 2013 (9)
- ► February 2013 (19)
- ► January 2013 (18)
-
▼
2012
(323)
-
▼
December 2012
(15)
- Happy New Year, 2013!
- Daniel Radcliffe hosting Have I Got News for You
- The completion of Five Harry Potter Places Travel ...
- Promo photos for episode 4 of A Young Doctor's Not...
- Updated: Daniel featured at El Hormiguero's 'Dark ...
- Daniel visits The Book of Mormon on Broadway
- Promo photos for episode 3 of A Young Doctor's Not...
- Daniel Radcliffe executive producer of Now. Here. ...
- Kill Your Darlings to screen in Brooklyn, NY as a ...
- Updated: Daniel Radcliffe on The Graham Norton Show
- Promo photos & a preview for episode 2 of A Young ...
- Daniel Radcliffe on aping the career of a fellow a...
- Updated: ET Canada interviews Daniel Radcliffe at ...
- Official first look at Kill Your Darlings
- Updated(4): Daniel Radcliffe attended Whistler Fil...
- ► November 2012 (22)
- ► October 2012 (13)
- ► September 2012 (18)
- ► August 2012 (11)
- ► April 2012 (10)
- ► March 2012 (33)
- ► February 2012 (88)
- ► January 2012 (74)
-
▼
December 2012
(15)
-
►
2011
(326)
- ► December 2011 (18)
- ► November 2011 (24)
- ► October 2011 (23)
- ► September 2011 (21)
- ► August 2011 (22)
- ► April 2011 (26)
- ► March 2011 (38)
- ► February 2011 (22)
- ► January 2011 (14)
-
►
2010
(231)
- ► December 2010 (24)
- ► November 2010 (73)
- ► October 2010 (33)
- ► September 2010 (19)
- ► August 2010 (10)
- ► April 2010 (6)
- ► March 2010 (8)
- ► February 2010 (7)
- ► January 2010 (7)
-
►
2009
(160)
- ► December 2009 (8)
- ► November 2009 (11)
- ► October 2009 (6)
- ► September 2009 (7)
- ► August 2009 (8)
- ► April 2009 (5)
- ► March 2009 (6)
- ► February 2009 (8)
- ► January 2009 (11)
-
►
2008
(96)
- ► December 2008 (10)
- ► November 2008 (9)
- ► October 2008 (8)
- ► September 2008 (15)
- ► August 2008 (13)
- ► April 2008 (12)
- ► March 2008 (5)
- ► February 2008 (4)
- ► January 2008 (7)
-
►
2007
(208)
- ► December 2007 (9)
- ► November 2007 (17)
- ► October 2007 (13)
- ► September 2007 (49)
- ► August 2007 (13)
- ► April 2007 (5)
- ► March 2007 (4)
- ► February 2007 (8)
- ► January 2007 (5)
-
►
2006
(44)
- ► December 2006 (8)
- ► November 2006 (7)
- ► October 2006 (5)
- ► September 2006 (7)
- ► August 2006 (3)
- ► April 2006 (1)
- ► March 2006 (3)
- ► February 2006 (3)
- ► January 2006 (2)
-
►
2005
(61)
- ► December 2005 (5)
- ► November 2005 (33)
- ► October 2005 (14)
- ► September 2005 (3)
- ► February 2005 (3)
- ► January 2005 (1)
-
►
2004
(56)
- ► December 2004 (3)
- ► November 2004 (5)
- ► October 2004 (1)
- ► September 2004 (2)
- ► August 2004 (1)
- ► April 2004 (2)
- ► March 2004 (1)
- ► February 2004 (1)
- ► January 2004 (2)
-
►
2003
(12)
- ► December 2003 (1)
- ► November 2003 (1)
- ► October 2003 (2)
- ► September 2003 (2)
- ► April 2003 (1)
- ► March 2003 (1)
- ► February 2003 (1)
-
►
2002
(38)
- ► December 2002 (6)
- ► November 2002 (13)
- ► October 2002 (12)
- ► September 2002 (2)
- ► March 2002 (1)
- ► February 2002 (1)
- ► January 2002 (1)
-
►
2001
(36)
- ► December 2001 (2)
- ► November 2001 (22)
- ► October 2001 (6)
- ► September 2001 (2)
- ► August 2001 (1)
- ► March 2001 (1)
- ► February 2001 (1)
- ► January 2001 (1)
-
►
2000
(1)
- ► August 2000 (1)
-
►
1999
(2)
- ► December 1999 (2)
Home
A Young Doctor's Notebook
Daniel
Daniel Radcliffe on aping the career of a fellow actor "I’ve been looking at Dustin Hoffman"
Daniel Radcliffe on aping the career of a fellow actor "I’ve been looking at Dustin Hoffman"
Marion
|
06 December 2012
|
13:37
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Really enjoyed this interview :) brilliant writing. Very interesting :)
ReplyDelete