Daniel Radcliffe On His Early Harry Potter Performances

Friday, July 10, 2009

Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the lead role in Harry Potter film series, admits watching his early "Harry Potter" performances is "torture." Radcliffe, who is now 19, was 11 when he was cast as the boy wizard for the series' 2001 debut.

"For me to look back on the old films is an almost entirely destructive thing to do," says Radcliffe. "I just torture myself over it. I mean, I was young. I can't be held accountable for the performance I gave in the first two films: I was 11 and 12. I wasn't like Dakota Fanning ... who could seemingly just do it. It was very much a child's performance."

Such awareness is common for Radcliffe, who goes by "Dan." Shy as a child, Radcliffe has grown into a quick-witted, animated 19-year-old who relishes frantic chatter about indie music, the behind-the-scenes aspects of filmmaking and his burgeoning love of acting. Michael Gambon, the esteemed veteran actor who plays Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore, says: "He's not a boy anymore. ... You can see it in his face."