The actor thinks his performance was “awful” and that he made a lot of mistakes

Aug 11, 2014 20:01 GMT  ·  By
Daniel Radcliffe opens up about those Harry Potter roles, claims to hate his performances
   Daniel Radcliffe opens up about those Harry Potter roles, claims to hate his performances

Don't get him wrong, Daniel Radcliffe is very grateful for the opportunity to play the boy wizard, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have things to complain about and they're mostly pertaining to his acting more than anything else.

In an interview with the British magazine Event, Radcliffe makes a startling confession: he hates to watch himself playing Harry Potter on the big screen. Whereas you see a big-eyed boy growing up on screen, he only sees the mistakes he did as a young actor and he now regrets.

Radcliffe debuted on the big screen at age 11 as Harry Potter, the boy wizard from J.K. Rowling's famous books and this role catapulted him to global fame. He went on to star in 8 movies in all in the franchise, but he's still convinced that his performances were awful.

In fact, the actor was so appalled by his performances that he pondered sneaking out of the cinema at the 2009 premiere of the latest Harry Potter movie. He tells the interviewer, “Doing Potter was an incredible blessing because it gave me this opportunity to start a fantastic career. But then the moments I'm not as proud of, mistakes other actors get to make in rehearsal rooms or at drama school, are all on film for everyone to see...”

He's not the only actor out there who doesn't like seeing himself on film. There are numerous other thespians, some even very big names in Hollywood that refuse to see their own movies. Daniel reveals that “I never liked watching myself on film but I do make myself sit through it. I think it comes from not actually realising I didn't have to go to my own premieres and watch the film - that's something I've only just realised you don't have to do. I always went along and sat with everyone else watching the movie.”

And just to be clear on which movie from the franchise he hates the most, Radcliffe tells the magazine: “It's hard to watch a film like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, because I'm just not very good in it. I hate it. My acting is very one-note and I can see I got complacent and what I was trying to do just didn't come across. My best film is the fifth one (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) because I can see a progression.”

Since the Harry Potter roles, Daniel has appeared in different projects both on the big screen and on stage, honing his skills as an actor. But those Harry Potter movies are going to stay for ever in his mind.