Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe Believes He Would Be An Amazing Wizard In Real Life
The "Harry Potter" movies and books allow fans to transport themselves to the magical world of witches and wizards through the eyes of their eponymous protagonist, and it's become something of a fan obsession over the years to imagine yourself getting your own acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Daniel Radcliffe brought that sense of wonder and discovery to life over the course of eight films as Harry Potter, and like the books, the movies proved to be very successful. Including the "Fantastic Beasts" films, the Wizarding World franchise has grossed over $9.5 billion worldwide (via The Numbers).
Many things can and have been said about the controversial mastermind behind the series, J.K. Rowling, but it's clear that the world she created holds mass appeal to viewers and readers who want to escape into a magical world of mystery and seemingly endless lore hiding behind every corner. But fans are not the only ones who wish they could be a witch or wizard. Radcliffe himself believes he would make a fantastic magic user in the real world — if such a thing actually existed.
Radcliffe thinks he would be a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in real life
During a Reddit AMA in 2014, Radcliffe was asked if he thinks he would make a good wizard or if he is even interested in being one, and the actor responded very enthusiastically. Not only did he say that he would absolutely be a wizard, but he also believes that the fantasy element of the story is what makes it so appealing to readers and viewers in general — because everyone wants to have magical powers in real life.
"I think that was part of the huge success of those books, is that it taps into a set of powers and a fantasy world that literally everybody would love to be a part of," Radcliffe said. "I think I would be a fantastic one if I were really one in real life. I think I would probably be, like, one of the cool [Defense Against the] Dark Arts teachers. There weren't very many good ones, but I would be the Lupin equivalent."
Even a few years after the franchise had ended for him, Radcliffe seemed excited at the time of this AMA to become a wizard. And he's correct, of course, that a lot of its fans would love to be a part of the world that J.K. Rowling crafted.
As for his desired profession, it's not too much of a divergence from the Auror position that Harry ends up in during his adult years, with both helping combat the Dark Arts, though Aurors put that study to more practical use. Still, his enthusiasm for the world is likely to be super relatable for a lot of the people who grew up with the stories and movies.