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Daniel Radcliffe Reuters
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Actor Daniel Radcliffe came into the spotlight with Harry Potter franchise and became a household name. 10 years on and eight Potter movies later, the actor is ready to take the leap of faith and try out new interesting characters. Here the actor talks about his latest film The Woman In Black and the transformation he had to go through.
Arthur is an interesting role to play, what was your attraction to the role?
It’s so complex but there’s a real stillness to him as well. James (Watkins) has been encouraging me in that. He’s somebody who has been so completely destroyed by his wife’s death, that he has found it almost impossible to live in the human world for the last four years. He’s been unable to connect with people and his relationship with his son. He loves him, but he’s not there for him as he should have been. And also he’s struggling to hold down his job.
After Harry Potter, are you looking for the next challenge to put some distance between you and that role?
It’s not about distancing myself, because distancing always sounds slightly pejorative, and I’m very, very proud of Potter. But I have to now prove to people that I’m serious about this and I think the way to do that is to start selecting some interesting stuff and to take a few risks.
Do you seek out characters that are different from your own personality?
Well, I think you have a responsibility as a lead actor to be leading with the energy as much as you can. I’ve seen film sets where the actors are playing up and they’re miserable and it just filters down through everybody and everybody has that same sense. But also, the other part is I love being on set and I love my job. But certainly, I’m very exuberant about anything, pretty much. Arthur has none of that. That sort of joy of life that I have is something Arthur has been robbed of.
Did you look at anything particular to understand where Arthur’s grief comes from?
Arthur’s grief comes out in a sort of numbness and exhaustion. That’s what people don’t often talk about in terms of grief, but I did read a couple of books about it and the point they made was just the tiredness and exhaustion. Because it’s linked to depression and depression is described as being the most exhausting feeling. I think it’s a struggle for Arthur to get out of bed in the mornings and I think it has been for some years. That was definitely something that I focussed on — that sense of exhaustion and numbness. As still as he is, there’s a fire raging inside.
There was a quote in A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis, where he said something like, “Being bereaved is like going to a valley where the landscape is ever-changing and ceaselessly repeating.” And that’s what’s going on for Arthur.
To a certain extent with Arthur, the attraction is playing somebody that is in the world but not of it. That’s something I can sometimes associate with, I think. It’s that vague thing of stuff happening to you, rather than you actually being involved in it happening. I think that depth of sadness brings out the most honest sides of characters, it being the most exposing of all feelings. It shows who you really are and how you get on with a situation. When you see characters in those moments of their lives they become the most interesting, so I think that’s why I’ve gravitated towards characters like that.
You’ve been busy since finishing Potter. Are you a bit of a workaholic?
Yes. Absolutely, I think this is the time in my life when I’ve got both the energy and the desire to be busy, so make hay while the sun shines, I suppose. I get very, very bored, very, very quickly when I’m not doing anything, and I’m very, very happy at work, so I don’t know why I’d stop!
How do you not get bored on film sets?
The thing is you don’t have to be bored here. There’s always something going on, there’s always someone to talk to. Everybody here’s very interesting, and has a story of how they got here. You just talk to people and you find ways of passing the time. On a film set, you have to be pretty unimaginative to be bored. I’m still having a very good time, and I love being here.
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