Daniel Radcliffe, who rose to fame as a child actor, has revealed that he does not wish the same for his future children.
The 33-year-old actor became a household name when he starred in the Harry Potter film franchise at just 11 years old. Now, Radcliffe has explained how his own experience with childhood stardom will influence how he parents his children one day.
“I want my kids, if and when they exist...I would love them to be around film sets,” he recently told Newsweek. “A dream would be for them to come onto a film set and be like ‘God, you know, I’d love to be in the art department. I’d love to be something in the crew.’ Some part of this, but not from that.”
The British actor – who stars in the forthcoming biopic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story – said that he “clearly” still enjoys acting, but “wouldn’t want fame for my kid”.
Radcliffe insisted that there are still some advantages to growing up on a film set, but wouldn’t want his children to be thrust into the spotlight at such an early age.
“I think if you can get a situation where you’re on film sets without necessarily [thinking] oh, this is gonna be a big deal in your life, that’s great,” he said. “Film sets are wonderful places. I think a lot of the time it can be wonderful for kids. But it’s really the fame side of it that should be avoided at all costs.”
In 2000, Daniel Radcliffe was just 11 years old when he was cast as the titular role of Harry Potter in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Radcliffe – alongside co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint – would spend the next ten years starring in the successful film series, based on the books by JK Rowling.
However, the former child star has been open about his alcoholism, revealing that he would drink excessively to cope with fame. In 2019, Radcliffe explained how he felt “watched” during his teenage years, and didn’t know how to deal with the issue at the time besides alcohol.
“In my case, the quickest way to forget about the fact that you’re being watched is to get very drunk,” he told Off Camera host Sam Jones. “And then as you get very drunk, you become aware that ‘Oh, people are watching more now because now I’m getting very drunk, so I should probably drink more to ignore that more.’”
Radcliffe, who has been sober since 2010, said that he attempted to stop drinking multiple times, and eventually did so with the help of friends. “Ultimately, it was my own decision,” he said. “Like I woke up one morning after a night going like, ‘This is probably not good.’”
These days, Daniel Radcliffe has been in a long-term relationship with girlfriend Erin Darke. Radcliffe and Darke first met while filming the 2013 movie, Kill Your Darlings. Earlier this year, he opened up about their relationship and how happy he is with her nearly ten years later.
“I’ve got a really nice life,” he told People. “I’ve been with my girlfriend for a decade pretty much. We’re really happy.”
