Daniel Radcliffe Says Playing Harry Potter Turned Him Into An Alcoholic
Ten years ago, Daniel Radcliffe said “Evanesco!” (it’s the vanishing spell) to alcohol forever and committed to the sober life. Big choice to make at age 20, when most people are boozing like every weekend is St. Patrick’s Day. Daniel, who does NOT have coronavirus, opened up about his issues in a BBC Radio 4 interview. He once again said that playing Harry Potter was the main reason he became an alcoholic.
via LAD Bible:
Radcliffe, 30, said: “If I went out and if I got drunk, I’d suddenly be aware of there being interest in that because it’s not just a drunk guy. It’s ‘Oh, Harry Potter’s getting drunk in the bar.'”
Speaking about the start of his career where he was a child star, the actor opened up about the perception of him. He said playing the wizard ‘carried some kind of interest for people and also a slightly mocking interest’.
He added: “It’s inherently funny for people.”
Speaking to Laverne, he continued on to say that his way of dealing with his fame was to drink more often, saying: “I did a lot of that for a few years.”
This makes total sense to me. I like to think I’m pretty “cool” around celebs (based on the time I discretely stalked Alan Rickman for 2 city blocks, but from a healthy distance), but when I’m drunk? Not so much. If I spotted Harry Goddamn Potter at a time when my blood alcohol content was more tequila than blood, you bet your ass I’d stumble over and slur, “Yer the Chosen One. Wanna tongue?” (shoot your shot, ladies). I get why DanRad would want to Obliviate a memory like that.
Daniel also talked about the pressures of being a child star:
He said: “They are by that point the breadwinner for their family. So multiple people are now reliant on them continuing to do this job and they feel pressured into it and forced into it.
“I think that’s why you can see people go to drink and drugs because it is fun and they’re available and it seems like a good idea.
“There’s nobody around you talking about the consequences or being honest with you about that.”
Clever girl. Daniel should be teaching child star workshops to up and comers like Millie Bobby Brown and that cute lil’ Jojo Rabbit kid. Teach ’em how to hide their cash from greedy parents, avoid pervs, and stay off the bad shit. Bring Lindsay Lohan in as a guest speaker (hot tip: tell her to come three hours before she’s actually scheduled). That’ll scare those baby show ponies straight!
Pic: Wenn.com