Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has recently explained why he wants a reputation for doing weird movie projects. Radcliffe is, of course, best known for playing the titular character in the hugely successful Harry Potter franchise. Beginning when Radcliffe was just 11 years old, the actor first took on the role of the boy-wizard back in 2001, and played him through until 2011. The Harry Potter franchise quickly became one of the biggest in the world, and as such, Radcliffe is remembered best by many as the Harry Potter who first took to the screen in The Sorcerer's Stone.
Interestingly, since the conclusion of the Harry Potter films, Radcliffe has become known as an actor who appears in off-beat indie films, despite having the clout to land big blockbuster roles for the rest of his career. Among his roles since Harry Potter, Radcliffe has played a man who mysteriously grows horns after his girlfriend's death in Horns, a sentient corpse in Swiss Army Man, and a man who wakes up to find he has guns bolted to his hands in Guns Akimbo. Currently, Radcliffe can be caught in theatres as the villain in the jungle adventure film The Lost City, and it has been announced that he will also be playing Weird Al Yankovic in an upcoming biopic about the comedian/musician.
In a recent interview with Empire, Radcliffe revealed exactly why he enjoys making "weird" films. For Radcliffe, one of the best things an actor can do is "get a reputation for being weird." Radcliffe has stated that every time he takes on a strange role, it shows other filmmakers his potential. The actor explained that this can create a cycle in which he can make a career out of doing "random crazy stuff." See his full quote below:
"I think one of the best things you can do is get a reputation for being weird, or liking weird things. Because weird sort of begets weird, and as soon as you do something like Horns, the guys who make Swiss Army Man are like, "Oh, okay, maybe he's into that." And then people see Swiss Army Man, and they're like, "Oh, Guns Akimbo." One thing leads to another and it keeps meaning I get to do random crazy stuff, which I'm always very happy with."
This approach has certainly worked for Radcliffe so far. Despite the fact that he is no longer part of a major movie franchise with multiple instalments, Radcliffe has been working almost as consistently since Harry Potter ended as he was during the 10 years that the saga was in production. As a bonus, Radcliffe's ability to branch out into unique roles means that he always seems passionate about the projects he works on, given the creative freedom to play who he chooses.
While many will always remember Radcliffe as the young Hogwarts student, Radcliffe has certainly worked hard over the last few years to prove that Harry Potter is not his whole identity. Since 2011, Radcliffe has consistently shown that he is a talented and diverse actor, and that it is now almost a guarantee that seeing one of the actor's movies will be a brand new experience every time. After taking up the classic villain mantle in The Lost City and a Weird Al biopic in the pipeline, there is no telling where Radcliffe may go next with his acting skills. In the mean time, Radcliffe's original role of Harry Potter is always available to re-visit.
Source: Empire