At the age of twelve, Daniel Radcliffe became the face of the wizard's apprentice Harry Potter and became a world star. But is it desirable to be so famous as a child? No, says the 33-year-old. And a colleague with similar experience agrees.
In his own words, "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe would not want his children to become famous at an early age. "Movie sets are great places. I think they can often be wonderful for children," said the previously childless Radcliffe, who became a world star at the age of twelve with his role as Harry Potter, the US magazine "Newsweek". "But it's the celebrity thing that should be avoided at all costs."
Between 2001 and 2007, Radcliffe played the sorcerer's apprentice from the best-selling novels J.K. Rowling five times and thus became the star of his generation - and then tried to break away from his child star image with other roles. Although he could not build on the success of the Potter films, Radcliffe stayed in business and remained a guest on the screens of this world, for example as a villain in "The Unbelievable 2" alongside Michael Caine.
Evan Rachel Wood, who stars alongside Radcliffe in the biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and who also rose to prominence in her early teens for her role in the film Thirteen, agreed with her British counterpart. Acting as an art form in itself gave her a lot in her childhood, the US actress explained.
"It taught me so much about myself and about others and about empathy and connection. But I don't think kids should have careers." In "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story," Radcliffe portrayed Californian musician and comedian "Weird Al" Yankovic, while Wood slipped into the role of singer Madonna. The biopic is scheduled to be available on streaming provider The Roku Channel from early November.
Several actors who were child stars struggled as adults -- Macauly Caulkin, for example, who rose to fame as "Home Alone" ten years before Radcliffe, and later struggled with alcohol and drug problems.
