Daniel Radcliffe was only 11 when he began filming the mega-hit Harry Potter series for Warner Brothers. In a recent interview with Sam Jones, the now 29-year-old actor shared how fame affected him early on, and his unhealthy ways of coping with it.
On the episode of Off Camera with Sam Jones, Radcliffe revealed that the constant stares of the world drove him to drink:
"The quickest way to forget about the fact that you were being watched was to get very drunk. Then as you get very drunk, you become aware, 'Oh, people are watching more now because now I'm getting very drunk, so I should probably drink more to ignore that more.'"
Radcliffe, still very young, was also under the notion that famous actors should be "crazy cool drunks" and should be "delighted all the time."
With the benefit of hindsight, it's not hard to see how these expectations of emotional well-being could exacerbate pre-existing issues:
"You have a great job, you're wealthy, you don't have a right to not be excited about the thing all the time. I think that's a pressure as well. You suddenly start to feel, 'Man, if I am just feeling some human emotion of sadness, does that mean I'm doing this wrong? Am I not good at being famous?'"
Radcliffe went sober in 2012. Though it took him a "couple of attempts," he believes he has now built up a support system and personal resolve to kick his habit for good:
"I have been unbelievably lucky with the people I had around me at certain times in my life. I met some really key people, some actors, some of them not, who just gave me great advice and really cared for me."
The actor is also proud that he managed to make the decision for himself before things spiraled too out of control:
"...it was just my own decision. I woke up one morning after a night, going, 'This is probably not good.'"
In 2016, Radcliffe told The Telegraphthat he didn't like the person he became when he was intoxicated:
"I can't tell you what kind of drunk I am because I don't remember what kind of drunk I am. I think I'm probably great ― while I'm conscious. But then I have to be looked after and ultimately I don't want to wake up to 20 text messages along the lines of, 'Where are you? Dude, are you OK?'"
Daniel Radcliffe Explains That There's No Way to Prepare for the Fame of Harry Potteryoutu.be
Now that he's sober, the actor, starring in Miracle Workers on TBS, finds pleasures in the simple things:
"It sounds so sad but I love going to the supermarket, doing a shop. I feel I've achieved something, been productive."
Well done, Daniel, we'll all be watching your new show to celebrate right alongside you!
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