Daniel Radcliffe has admitted that he had absolutely no interest in returning to the rebooted Harry Potter franchise, saying that he’d prefer to stay well clear.
The 33-year-old actor just became a father for the first time, and has said he is being as selective as ever about his roles, but also thinks that they could really use a clean break when it comes to bringing JK Rowling’s book series back to screens for another generation.
To be fair, Rowling has been the subject of a fair bit of criticism herself, so maybe she shouldn’t be front and centre with it, either.
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Anyway, Radcliffe is ‘definitely not’ seeking involvement in the new series, and while he didn’t specifically rule out appearing in the HBO TV series, he isn’t actively seeking anything to do with it.
From a story perspective, it might be difficult for viewers to suspend their disbelief if the actual Harry Potter from the previous series showed up as a different character.
It seems unlikely, though.
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Speaking to ComicBook.com in an interview on Monday, the Swiss Army Man star said: "My understanding is that they're trying to very much start fresh, and I'm sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere.
"So I'm definitely not seeking it out in any way... but I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world, and I'm very excited to have that torch passed.
“But I don't think it needs me to physically pass it."
No, that’s probably fair.
Radcliffe took up the role of The Boy Who Lived as a child back in 2001, staying on throughout the next 10 years across all of the movies alongside Emma Watson – who played Hermione Granger – and Rupert Grint – playing Harry’s best friend Ron Weasley.
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In recent times, Radcliffe became a father, welcoming a son with his partner Erin Darke.
He’s clearly enjoying it, telling Us Magazine: “It’s great. It’s crazy and intense, but he’s wonderful and Erin is amazing,
“It’s a real privilege also to have this time with him.”
For now, that means he’s out of work, but that won’t be a permanent development.
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It just might mean he chooses his roles really carefully now he’s a dad.
He told the publication: “I think it certainly will [change his career choices].
“It hasn’t really yet affected things, but I really like spending time with him, and I think I’m gonna miss him when I go back to work later in the year.
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“So, I will definitely be I think a bit more selective — not more selective, I’ve always been selective — but I think I’ll probably work a little bit less for the next few years.”
Don’t worry if you’re a big Radcliffe fan, he also added: “I’ll never be stopping. I don’t think that’s good for me either.”
Topics: Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter, Celebrity, Film and TV, HBO
Tom Wood