Daniel Radcliffe - Television Tropes & Idioms

British actor, born July 23rd, 1989. Most famous for playing Harry Potter in the Harry Potter movies.

The son of a literary agent and a casting agent, Radcliffe began acting in small roles before Harry Potter. In the year 2000, the hunt for the right child actor to play Harry was starting to resemble the search for Scarlett O'Hara. After seeing Radcliffe in a BBC version of David Copperfield, Chris Columbus asked Radcliffe's parents to allow him to audition, but they declined. Sometime later, David Heyman and Steve Kloves attended a production of the play Stones in His Pockets and encountered Radcliffe in the audience. The next day, Heyman called Radcliffe's parents and this time they agreed to let him audition. Radcliffe happened to be in the bath at the time his parents got the call that he had gotten the part and he admits to being so happy that he cried. Radcliffe woke up in the middle of the following night, causing him to wake up his parents to ask them if he'd really gotten the part or if it was All Just a Dream.

It wasn't, of course, and Radcliffe played Harry Potter over the course of eight films, from 2001 to 2011. In 2007, Radcliffe starred as Alan Strang in Equus on the West End, reprising the role on Broadway in 2008. While the Moral Guardians were up in arms about Harry Potter appearing naked on stage, the critics had a He Really Can Act reaction. In 2011, he returned to Broadway to star in a revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. In 2012, he starred as Arthur Kipps in a Hammer feature film version of The Woman in Black. In an odd way, he is following in the footsteps of his onscreen father, Adrian Rawlins, who played the same role on television in 1989. In his next role, he will be playing a young Allen Ginsberg in the movie Kill Your Darlings.

Tropes that apply to this actor include:

Adorkable: Apparently he prepped for Equus by watching Spongebob Squarepants.
Ambiguously Gay: Many, many people are convinced he's gay. His behavior (which includes calling Gary Oldman "my true love" and accepting more than an award) doesn't help, although it is friggin' hilarious.
- And he is frequently seen in the company of drag queens.
- Not to mention when he appeared on the Australian Talk Show Rove and answered the question "Who would you turn gay for?" with "Albert Einstein. Because I think brains are sexy!" Hilarious!
- Considering his perfect comfort with gay friends and gay topics, Daniel Radcliffe actually confuses Gaydar in an interesting way. He could be gay — or, if it's true that he's straight as he says, he could be completely straight, without any of the silent personal irritation of same-sex tendencies that otherwise make many an Armored Closet Gay/Bi so personally insecure when their sexuality is questioned. Daniel has said he is always flattered when people think he's gay, especially because he's had so many good gay friends in his life that command his respect and admiration.
  - He also hails from a country where's it's not nearly as big a deal to be comfortable with one's self. There are some people who are just comfortable enough with their own sexuality to act in a way that others might view as gay, even if they're 100% straight.
All of the Other Reindeer: He claims he was bullied at school for being Harry Potter.
Bishōnen
Bowties are Cool: He wears bowties a lot, be they basic black◊ for the Sharp Dressed Man look, bright blue◊ for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, or Gryffindor red and gold for when he was named "Entertainer of the Year" for 2011 by Entertainment Weekly.
Brilliant, but Lazy: He loves to read, and is evidently very bright, but he's eschewed formal education in favor of working on his career. He does however encourage others to continue their own education because his success is not in any way typical.
Completely Missing the Point: He's pointed out that during his run in Equus, the Moral Guardians first complained that "Harry Potter is NAKED ON STAGE!", and when that failed to get the play halted, they complained that "Harry Potter is SMOKING ON STAGE!", but never once did they complain about the truly disturbing parts of the play: That Alan Strang blinds six horses with a poker and has a very unhealthy sexual obsession with the horses. Might also fit under Complaining about Shows You Don't Watch.
Deadpan Snarker
"I used to be self-conscious about my height, but then I thought 'fuck that, I'm Harry Potter."
The Everyman: Even though this is what he's been akin to playing in most roles, it does cater to his real life as well, even if he is insanely rich and popular.
Fake Nationality: In his 2012 Saturday Night Live appearance, all of his "American" characters sounded exactly like J. Pierpont Finch.
I Am Not Spock: He's still young, so he may escape this one day, but for now he's known first and foremost as Harry Potter. This also applies to nearly all the other actors to play Hogwarts students in the series and even some of the already famous adult actors playing teachers and so forth.
- He also draws the line at taking photos while wearing his glasses.
Keet: Oh ''God''...
Male Frontal Nudity: On Equus.
Method Acting: Lampshaded this once. When asked how he prepared for the lead role in Equus, he mentioned how the questioner obviously expected him to say "I sat in a stable for a few days and talked to myself", instead of "I watched Spongebob for an hour and then went to work."
One of Us: He loves Tom Lehrer, and singing "The Elements" is one of his favorite party tricks. If that doesn't make him a nerd, who knows what can. Don't believe it? Look here.
- He's also recently become a fan of American Football, even to the point of playing in a Fantasy Football League.
Promoted Fanboy: Being a huge fan of The Simpsons growing up, he was delighted about his guest appearance on the show and described it as "the culmination of his life".
- Fun fact: With Emma Watson having voiced Princess Pea for The Tale of Despereaux, this leaves Rupert Grint the only member of the trio to have not voiced an animated character — though not for long.
Trickster: In addition to shamelessly pranking people on the set of Harry Potter, he wore the same coat during the entirety of Equus' run so any pictures taken by paparazzi would be unpublishable as they would all appear to have been taken on the same day. According to him, it was hilarious seeing them get frustrated.
Wise Beyond Their Years: As pointed out by Gary Oldman:
"I first met Dan when he was 13 going on 14 — or 13 going on 50, really. He was  a brilliant boy, way beyond his years."

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