Daniel Radcliffe reveals that shooting for the upcoming biopic WEIRD: The 'Weird Al' Yankovic Story was shot in just 18 days. The latest venture for the former Harry Potter star will see Radcliffe as the titular 'Weird Al' Yankovic, the Grammy Award-winning musician who has become renowned for his satirical pastiches of pop-culture and contemporary artists in his music. Directed and co-written by Eric Appel, the film was also co-produced and co-written by Yankovic himself, and will chart the story of the eccentric musician's extraordinary career and unbelievable life, with Radcliffe calling the 'Weird Al' biopic "insane".
Although production on the film began back in February, WEIRD: The 'Weird Al' Yankovic Story had its bizarre origins as a fake trailer made by Funny Or Die in 2013, which was also directed by Appel and featured Aaron Paul as Yankovic. However, a genuine 'Weird Al' biopic of the same name was announced in January 2022, featuring Westworld's Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna and The Office's Rainn Wilson as Doctor Demento alongside Radcliffe's Yankovic. Although a specific release date has yet to be announced for the film, as well as any further information on whether the biopic will be released in theaters, filming for WEIRD has now wrapped and is due to premiere on The Roku Channel.
Now, Radcliffe has expressed his ardent excitement for the film, as well as revealing a surprising detail about the length of time it took to complete production. In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant while on the SXSW red carpet for The Lost City, the Harry Potter star highlights how "We shot it in 18 days. It was an unbelievably fast shoot, and I don't know quite how we did it." Read his full quote below:
I am so excited. It's gonna be the longest wait for something to come out because I am so excited for people to see it. I think it's gonna be really really cool. We shot it in 18 days. It was an unbelievably fast shoot, and I don't know quite how we did it. But I think we did. I think it's gonna be good.
Radcliffe's enthusiasm for the project is palpable and his involvement perfectly showcases how the actor has begun to build himself a more eclectic and diverse body of work since bidding farewell to the scarred wizard in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 in 2011. Indeed, his next role will see him portray the international billionaire criminal Abigail Fairfax in the upcoming adventure comedy The Lost City, in which Radcliffe's character kidnaps a bestselling author whose fictional lost city he believes to be real. However, this revelation that production on WEIRD was completed within a mere two and a half weeks, along with Radcliffe admitting that he "[doesn't] know quite how we did it," suggests that the filming process was every bit as unusual as Yankovic himself.
For fans who are greatly anticipating the long-awaited 'Weird Al' biopic, the fact that the film finished shooting so quickly will likely come as very welcome news. Not only does it indicate that they will likely not have to wait nearly as long as previously thought to see the final product, but many might see the speediness itself as a sign that the film will possess a manic energy that perfectly represents the eccentricity of its subject. Radcliffe has acknowledged the responsibility of playing Yankovic before and it's clear that doing the man justice was an utmost priority for him. But quite how far the quick-turnaround of filming will help reflect Yankovic's idiosyncratic life will likely not be fully known until WEIRD: The 'Weird Al' Yankovic Story is finally released.