Berliner Kurier interview

Interview with Daniel by the Berliner Kurier at the Deauville American Film Festival in promotion of Imperium.

Translation by Daniel J Radcliffe Holland.

Daniel, what was the most beautiful Harry Potter moment for you?
Daniel Radcliffe: I particularly like to remember my e-bass sessions with Gary Oldman, who often sweetened the grueling wait-and-see on the set, especially the day Gary gave me the famous bass line of the Beatles song "Come Together" has taught. His encounters with Michael Gambon were also beautiful: his true passion is weapons, he is a trained gunsmith, and sometimes in the morning he burst into my caravan in full gear - a coffee in his left hand and an antique Italian pistol in his right hand explained in detail to me. Very bizarre!

Some of your colleagues have said that on set early in the make-up caravan you like to hear very loud aggressive music. Is that correct?
I'm afraid so. I'm fond of Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols or The Libertines. In the make-up caravan, you usually spend extremely early morning hours, and if you do not wake up your damn brains, you're guaranteed to fall asleep and be tired all day. That's why I think it makes sense to get the necessary energy kick for the day. But I realize that not everyone in the morning at six o'clock appreciates a decent portion of pistols. (Laughs.)

At the age of 17 you took the plunge on the London theater stage and played a mentally confused stable boy in Peter Shafer's drama "Equus" ...
... and I was really scared! When I came to the rehearsal for the first time, I got the feeling that everyone else in the room was thinking: "This child star has no business here!" In the theater world there is a tremendous snobbery towards movie actors. In fact, there was a nasty article in an English newspaper during our rehearsals with the headline: "What's this? The sound of a career that comes to an abrupt halt! "

Instead, your appearance became a triumph. And since then you have made about 30 films and TV series, but mostly small independent productions. Why?
Because after ten years of sitting around the Harry Potter sets, I finally wanted to work efficiently and creatively. That many of my films are pretty weird is because I love magical realism, both in literature and in the movies. It's wonderful that everything is possible on screen - even the bizarre idea of ​​"Swiss Army Man" that you can jet ski with a flatulierenden corpse!

In the thriller "Imperium", which has now been released on DVD, you play an undercover agent who infiltrates a neo-Nazi gang. How was it for you to walk around being bald?
It was nerve-wracking to shave the skull bald in front of the camera. Because first of all, I had only one try, and secondly, I did not know whether under my hair might perhaps a strange head shape or an ugly birthmark hid. But I was lucky, and I found the bald spot so convenient that I would have kept it if it did not have that political dimension. When we shot a neo-Nazi demo for "Imperium" in Virginia, some African-American passers-by took us for true racists. They were so horrified that we had to calm them down.

Which of your movie characters is most similar to your own personality?
The mentioned body in "Swiss Army Man": Originally it should be sad, grumpy and cynical, but when the directors met me, they made it a happy, cheerful and curious corpse. So much of me in this figure, but also in the undercover agent in "Imperium" - he's a similarly ambitious, quirky bookworm like me. And I loved that the script does not give him a weapon; that he has to use his brain to bring down the right-wing extremist organization. I think it is time for us to correct our idea of ​​masculinity.

What do you mean?
Kurt Vonnegut gave me this idea. Vonnegut was a tough bastard who fought in the Second World War and survived as a prisoner of war. But while our society traditionally defines masculinity through harshness or aggression, Vonnegut sees other virtues that make a real man: decency, intelligence, determination, and friendliness.

Can you still move freely in public without being disturbed? Do you use the subway?
No, subway is no longer possible. Otherwise, I try to lead a reasonably normal life. I also go shopping myself. Of course, many people come to me who want to have an autograph or a selfie, but most of the time I like to fulfill such desires. Actually, I only get nervous when I am with friends and realize that my friends are getting nervous and wondering if I feel uncomfortable doing so. That stresses me then.

Where do you live today?
Besides my apartment in London, I also have one in New York, where people on the street leave you alone - probably because they want to show you that you do not care about them at all. But I always travel around the world. I always thought it would be silly to hear that someone has a personal assistant. But now I am glad that I have been accompanied on my journey for years by my assistant and my bodyguard. Without them there would be no constant in my life. They are my replacement family.

Have you ever thought of starting your own family?
Yes, every now and then. I wondered what my potential children would look like if I was still so famous in ten years - maybe they'd better wear my wife's last name. (Laughs.)

What about your announced director ambitions?
I hope to be able to present my first directorial work in a few years. It should be based on a self-written script if possible - then I do not have to feel so guilty if I mess it up. What I have written so far, unfortunately, is not yet ready. But I think my directorial debut could be pretty good. Anyway, I can promise you one thing: It's going to be great!

source: berliner-kurier.de