Daniel Radcliffe, famed for his lead role in the Harry Potter film series has gone from wizard to lawyer and everything else in between. His latest film, The Woman in Black, coming to theaters February is a genre that is completely different from his previous Potter films. While the Potter series are fantasy- adventure, The Woman in Black is a thriller.
Will this movie finally suffice Radcliffe’s break from his wizard mold of ten years? Towards the end of filming the end of the Potter series, he already started his break out from his persona of Harry Potter by taking on the lead role in Equusv on Broadway. This role allowed him even more artistic freedom than before because he was nude in front of a live audience, something that he would never do as Harry Potter, unless he had his invisable cloak on.
In his most recent Broadway production, the musical comedy How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Radcliffe played the lead of J. Pierrepont Finch. “He was successful in portraying a role other than a wizard”, Frankie De Piano, a dedicated Radcliffe fan who attended this production said.
“He is not one dimensional. He is a sophisticated actor of stage and screen. He has already evolved so much. I think that Daniel Radcliffe will not suffer the fate of being only known for that one limited role as a child actor”, senior Mary Goldstein said.
However, by representing Harry Potter for ten years, some fans will never see Daniel Radcliffe as anyone else. Daniel Radcliffe commented on the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2010.
“There will be some people who will always see me as this character and I absolutely know that, and understand that, and that’s fine”, Radcliffe said.
Yet, many of his true fans will remain by his side no matter what role he plays. They will look to support him and look forward to watching him grow and develop into other characters. Who knows if Daniel Radcliffe will be as versatile as Johnny Depp whose roles included characters such as Sweeny Todd, Willy Wonka, Edward Scissorshands, and Captain Jack Sparrow?