After completing our recent taping of my Deadline video series The Actor’s Side at PMC studios in New York City, Daniel Radcliffe walked out onto the street to groups of teenage girls who were cordoned off on both sides of the entrance. They went ballistic, yelling, “Harry Potter! Harry Potter!” They were, in fact, there coincidentally awaiting for the stars of the Korean Broadway musical hit KPOP, who were due to arrive for a photo shoot, but the unexpected sighting of Radcliffe sent the crowd into a frenzy.
Radcliffe is used to it after having made his stardom across eight Harry Potter movies, playing a character that landed deep in the heart of young people (and their parents) around the globe. But for this week’s The Actor’s Side, he joined me to talk about his starring role in the acclaimed “non-factual” biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which won a People’s Choice Award at Toronto and two Critics Choice Awards –including one for Radcliffe — and has been a hit for Roku ever since debuting on the streaming service. It now is buzzed for Emmy attention in the Outstanding Television Movie and Lead Actor categories, and with good reason. Weird is a surprisingly funny and emotional look at the life and times of the veteran satirist, taking liberties with plenty of the facts but getting to the weird heart of Al Yankovic in large part thanks to the portrayal by Radcliffe.
RELATED: Toronto Review: Daniel Radcliffe In ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’
Beyond his success in the Potter franchise, Radcliffe has shown an interest in the world of offbeat indie films such as Kill Your Darling and Swiss Army Man, the latter a comedy from The Daniels, the writer-directors who next did eventual Best Picture Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All at Once — personally picking up three Academy Awards each as the film’s producers, directors and writers. Radcliffe and I talk about that duo; his penchant for offbeat roles; the lingering legacy of Harry Potter and if he will ever somehow turn up in that franchise again; and how Yankovic helped him in nailing the role of himself, learning to play the accordion and why it was not an impersonation.
We also talk about Radcliffe’s frequent stage work including Broadway turns in Equus and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, as well as his recent Off-Broadway run in the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, which he is excited to bring to Broadway in early fall. Of that musical, which was Sondheim’s biggest flop when it first opened (it closed after 16 performances), we talk about why it was misunderstood and how now it has a new following. Oh, and he also talks about becoming a father for the first time just a few short weeks ago.
To watch our conversation in this special episode shot in New York City, click on the video above.
Join me every Wednesday during Emmy season for another episode of The Actor’s Side.
