Since putting down his wand more than a decade ago in his final outing as the Boy Who Lived , Daniel Radcliffe has been making it his mission to take on challenging roles that help set him apart from his days as Harry Potter. His latest production sees him playing the polka-playing parody master “Weird” Al Yankovic in the part biopic but mostly a parody of overly serious biopics: WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story. The role certainly says something about the kinds of choices Radcliffe has been making over the past few years. However, there’s one specific part that he says served as a “statement” on his post-Potter career.
The Swiss Army Man actor credits a certain stage role for marking a shift in his career. And believe it or not, he took on the part while he was still doing his Harry Potter work, which arguably made it even more shocking at the time. He said:
I did Equus during Potter, and I think that was me starting to show an interest in [doing unusual things].
Equus was a risky role for Radcliffe to take on, especially at the time that he did. Not only did the young actor play the part of a mentally ill man who becomes obsessed with a horse, but the role also required the Harry Potter star to commit to full frontal nudity when he was only seventeen years old. The Horns alum’s decision to take on a part that was such a departure from his portrayal of the boy wizard made it clear that he was ready and willing to take on more bold roles. He further explained to NME:
It was a statement of intent that I’m not going to do just Potter, I’m going to do stuff that is challenging and different. People see you do Equus, and they think, ‘Oh, you want to take a chance. Maybe you’ll do Kill Your Darlings’. Then somebody sees that and thinks I might do Horns, then Swiss Army Man, then Guns Akimbo. And that would lead to this.
Daniel Radcliffe’s decision to take on so many different roles after Harry Potter seems to be a message that not only Hollywood has heard loud and clear but also audiences. He’s more than proven his versatility as a performer, which might be why so many Marvel fans are clamoring for him to take on the upcoming Marvel movie version of Wolverine. While there have been rumors of the actor taking on the role of the adamantium claw-wielding mutant in the MCU for years, Radcliffe addressed the rumors, saying they are just that. The actor also said he believes most fans would be disappointed if he were cast in the part after Hugh Jackman’s iconic tenure as the character.
However, Daniel Radcliffe did issue a fun challenge to Marvel to “prove” him wrong. So who knows? Maybe blue and yellow spandex are in the actor’s future. We might have to settle for this fantastic fan art to see what Radcliffe could look like in the X-Men role. I don’t know; I think he looks perfect in the part of the short-tempered and cigar-chewing Weapon X. Regardless of whether he joins up with the superhero franchise though, I just hope that he continues to choose interesting and unexpected gigs like Equus and WEIRD as time goes on.
WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, which has been well received critically, is now streaming for free on The Roku channel. For all your moviegoing needs, be sure to check out our 2022 movie release schedule to see what’s coming soon.