Daniel Radcliffe says that playing Weird Al in Weird: The 'Weird Al' Yankovic Story (and wearing the singer's iconic Hawaiian shirt) is a huge responsibility and not something that he takes lightly. Known for hilarious songs like "Eat It," "Smells Like Nirvana," and "Like A Surgeon," 'Weird Al' Yankovic is a talented musician, singer, and songwriter who parodies other musicians' famous songs and uses music to make light of pop culture. The Grammy-winning artist's last studio album was Mandatory Fun in 2014.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Yankovic would be the subject of an upcoming biopic for which he would act as both co-writer and producer. Radcliffe, best known for his starring role in the Harry Potter franchise, is confirmed to be playing the lead role of 'Weird Al' in the film, which is directed by Funny or Die's Eric Appel. The upcoming biopic is said to explore "every facet of Yankovic's life," including "his meteoric rise to fame" as well as his "torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle." Weird: The 'Weird Al' Yankovic Story will release on Roku, but a release date has not yet been set.
In a new interview with People, Radcliffe explains that playing Yankovic in the upcoming biopic is a big responsibility. He says that he is "honored" to be able to play 'Weird Al' and bring the artist's story to life. Check out Radcliffe's humorous comment below:
"Wearing the Hawaiian shirt is a huge responsibility that I don't take lightly, and I'm honored to finally share with the world the absolutely 100 percent unassailably true story of Weird Al's depraved and scandalous life."
It's not clear exactly how close the movie will stay to Yankovic's real life, but Radcliffe's comments do suggest that there could be some deviations in the name of humor. With both Radcliffe and Yankovic using exaggerative words like "scandalous" and "depraved" to describe the real-life experiences upon which the movie is based, Yankovic may be stretching the truth to create a more exciting narrative. More likely, however, is that these exaggerations are part of a funny marketing gimmick and are, in fact, contrary to Yankovic's real life, which has been decidedly free from controversy and scandal.
Radcliffe may seem like an odd choice to play Yankovic, but the actor has a proven ability to carry small, offbeat sorts of movies. Radcliffe is not necessarily known as a comedic actor, but many of the indie projects he has starred in have allowed him to flex his comedic muscles, such as Swiss Army Man, Guns Akimbo, and What If. With Yankovic himself having co-written the upcoming biopic, there are sure to be a number of laugh-out-loud moments, but Radcliffe's more serious acting ability suggests Weird: The 'Weird Al' Yankovic Story will not be without moments of genuine emotion.
Source: People