Daniel Radcliffe Wants His Future Kids To Avoid Fame "At All Costs”
The 'Harry Potter' star said he'd rather his future children not pursue acting.
Adult actors who were once child stars know a thing or two about the slippery slope of Hollywood and have first-hand experience of the effects and pressures of fame at such a young age. Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe had some thoughts on kids in the industry and what he would want for his kids (if he ever has any).
While speaking to Newsweek about his upcoming comedy Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, where Radcliffe, 33, plays the infamous polka-singing parody singer, he said that he hopes his future kids avoid fame “at all costs.”
He clarified that growing up on film sets and in the entertainment industry has some of the coolest perks there are. However, if his future kids do decide to have careers in Hollywood, he hopes that they do not pursue acting.
“I want my kids, if and when they exist...I would love them to be around film sets,” he told Newsweek. “A dream would be for them to come onto a film set and be like ‘God, you know, I’d love to be in the art department. I’d love to be something in the crew.’ Some part of this, but not from that.”
Radcliffe, who sat alongside his costar in the Yankovic biopic during the interview, also noted that while he has enjoyed acting and obviously loves doing it, that doesn’t mean he would want that same fate for his kids. “...we're still acting so clearly, we enjoyed it. But still, I wouldn't want fame for my kid.”
Radcliffe has been very open about his struggles with alcoholism and how being a huge childhood star contributed to his addiction. In a 2020 interview on BBC Radio 4, the actor explained that when the Harry Potter films were wrapping up, Radcliffe had a lot of anxiety around what his next project would be.
“A lot of drinking that happened towards the end of Potter and for a little bit after it finished, it was panic, a little bit not knowing what to do next — not being comfortable enough in who I was to remain sober,” he confessed.
He explained in a previous interview that his drinking issues stemmed from fame. Speaking to Off Camera, Radcliffe said there were times when he was a teen that he felt like he was being watched while out with friend. Not knowing how to deal with that, he would just drink away the awareness.
“In my case, the quickest way to forget about the fact that you’re being watched is to get very drunk,” he said. “And then as you get very drunk, you become aware that ‘Oh, people are watching more now because now I’m getting very drunk, so I should probably drink more to ignore that more.’”
Radcliffe, who has now been sober since 2010, thanked his family and friends on set for giving him with “enough perspective on my life” to help him through the struggles.
The actor previously said that he attempted to stop drinking multiple times and eventually did so with the help of friends. “Ultimately, it was my own decision,” he said. “Like I woke up one morning after a night going like, ‘This is probably not good.’”
Learning of the struggles and addiction that Radcliffe faced at such a young age, it’s really no wonder that he hopes that if he does have kids, they do not have to deal with the perils that come with the bizarre nature of fame.
