The Real Reason Daniel Radcliffe Accepted Weird Roles After Harry Potter

Daniel Radcliffe hit the actor's jackpot at a very young age when he was cast as the Boy Who Lived in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He went on to star in seven sequels for the franchise, becoming one of the most recognizable actors in the world in the process. By the time he was in his early 20s, he already had more money than he knew what to do with, and current estimates report his net worth is roughly $110 million. No doubt Radcliffe had his choice of roles once his Harry Potter days were behind him, which is why it's interesting he's chosen to go off the beaten path a bit. 

One could absolutely see a scenario after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 where Radcliffe joined a superhero movie or jumped ship to another hot Young Adult property that was all the rage back in the 2010s. Instead, his first role post-Harry Potter was the gothic horror film, The Woman in Black. He then moved onto Horns, where he plays a man accused of murdering his girlfriend and goes on to develop supernatural abilities, and the infamous dark comedy Swiss Army Man, where he really pushed his acting acumen by portraying a farting corpse. 

It may not be the direction most people were thinking Radcliffe's career would take, but it's certainly an interesting one. The actor recently sat down with fellow blockbuster-turned-independent darling Elijah Wood for Empire Magazine (a portion of which was transcribed by NME) to discuss their eclectic careers at length where Radcliffe reveals the reason for defying audience's expectations. 

A conversation between Daniel Radcliffe and Elijah Wood is every nerd's dream as the stars of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings series, respectively, have spent plenty of time traversing the ins and outs of superstardom. While a lot of actors start small and work their way up to larger projects, Radcliffe did the opposite. Although it no doubt came with challenges, the actor went on to say how it's also freeing: "I've actually found it's an incredibly liberating thing, to do the biggest thing you're ever gonna do really f***ing early."

There's also the financial aspect; Radcliffe pretty much never has to worry about money again, so his paycheck doesn't have to be a major factor when deciding what jobs to take next. The actor expresses, "The financial success thing, that's done. So just do things that make you happy. And I definitely get a sense of that from your career, Elijah." Radcliffe is likely referring to the similar career path Wood took after playing Frodo in three Lord of the Rings movies, such as appearing on the bizarre dark comedy series Wilfred on FX as well as an array of smaller films, including Maniac, Cooties, and I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. Wood has also turned to producing as of late, mainly focusing on bringing supernatural, Lovecraftian horror films to life along the lines of Mandy, Daniel Isn't Real, and Color Out of Space. 

Wood echoes those sentiments, "Yeah. I would have said the exact same thing if you hadn't articulated it. Your career is so rad. You make such fun choices." Some actors never manage to break free of the one role most audiences identify them with, but when it comes to Radcliffe and Wood, they've basically forced the world to see them in a different light. Whatever they end up doing next, you just know it's going to be interesting.