After ten long years on the Harry Potter Film Series set, Daniel Jacob Radcliff is synonymous with the book’s hero, Harry Potter and fans can’t see any other person filling the spot. From the onset, JK Rowling and Chris Columbus had seen the young boy, twelve years old then, as being the perfect personification for the role.
Rowling wanted to find a person who could fit his character and grow into it, and when Columbus approved Radcliff for the role, stated “I don’t think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry.”, throwing his endorsement behind the teen actor.
Born in London, England, in 1989, Radcliff started acting when he was five years old, making his film debut in the BBC film David Copperfield (1999). He would appear in other films during this early stage.
In 2000, producer David Heyman invited him to audition for the role, after seeing the boy in David Copperfield. After about six trials, he landed the role with full approval from Rowling and Columbus.
Daniel Radcliff now faced an enormous challenge in his life, the movie role, Harry Potter, weighed heavily on his studies and after the first movie, bullying became an issue, prompting him to continue his studies in private.
He eventually admitted that he was never a good student but was successful in his final exams. Although he did exceptionally well, Radcliff decided not to continue to the university level, stating that he already knew exactly what he wanted in life, and that would not permit him to enjoy his college tenure
Harry Potter – The New Movie Star
In 2001 Warner Brothers released the first in the Harry Potter film series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. The movie was met with great success and the world discovered the talents of Radcliff. The media piled accolades upon the teen actor and he stole a place in the hearts of fans.
“Radcliffe is the embodiment of every reader’s imagination. It is wonderful to see a young hero who is so scholarly looking and filled with curiosity and who connects with very real emotions, from solemn intelligence and the delight of discovery to deep family longing,” The San Francisco Chronicle
Radcliffe would go on to do another five sequels to this movie. Most of them were met with positive ratings although some of them had dismay from the critics.
Fanfare Disappointments with Daniel Radcliffe
In 2005, Radcliff met with disappointment from his fans, with a large part of the movie world not expecting him to be awarded more Harry Potter. This was mainly due to his naked performance in the stage piece Equus. But by March 2007, he had signed on for the remaining three parts of the series.
He would rise anew to glory in the last installment of the film which was divided into two parts. It was so well performed that The Washington Post asked, “Who could have predicted that Radcliffe, Grint, and Watson would turn out to be good actors”?
Daniel Radcliff has never regretted being a child actor, as he claims that he was able to enjoy his childhood. Nonetheless, it is fair to notice how a ten-year-old has transformed himself into one of the world’s best-paid actors of all time.
