Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - Daniel Radcliffe

Episode Date: November 13, 2022

Daniel Radcliffe was 11 years old when he answered a call to audition for a movie based on the wildly successful Harry Potter books. By the next year, he was the most famous 12-year-old on earth. That first movie made a billion dollars at the box office, setting off a worldwide craze that led to seven more films with Radcliffe starring as Harry. He came out the other side of that 10-year run intact, at just 22 years old, and with the freedom, earned from the success of Harry Potter, to take on only the projects that strike him, like his latest, playing Weird Al Yankovic. Willie Geist got together with the actor in New York City as Radcliffe prepares for his next role, starring in a Stephen Sondheim musical. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit Down podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. Boy, do I have a treat for you? My guest is none other than Daniel Radcliffe, the man who, at 11 years old, was cast as Harry Potter, stepping into a universe that would completely alter his life. He starred in eight movies that made almost $8 billion, all told, and became one of the most recognizable people on the face of the earth. In fact, he was once called the most famous 12-year-old on the planet. He got through that, and by the time he was 22 years old, he had done all those movies, and the world was open to him.

He talks about it in our interview that the security he had in life allowed him to do things that were just fun to him, things that he was going to enjoy doing. He did West End Broadway plays. He did a bunch of super interesting sort of small independent movies. He hasn't had to go out and do the big Marvel movie because he did. that when he was 12. His latest project is Weird, the Al Yankovic story. Of course, the movie about Weird Al Yankovic, the famous song parody guy who in the 1980s came on the scene doing parodies of Michael Jackson hits and has continued to do that to this day. It's not really a biopic you'll realize as you start to watch the movie. It feels that way at the beginning

and then sort of veers off into the delightfully absurd. It's a movie written by Al Yankovic himself and he hand-picked Daniel Radcliffe to play him. Radcliffe thought, huh, I don't look anything like you. Why me? And Daniel realized later that it was because Al just liked the guy. I thought he was a good actor, thought he'd do a good job with it. It's a really fun movie. Daniel and I got together in New York City, a little restaurant down in the West Village, where he is preparing for the off-Broadway show Merrily We Roll Along. So, again, he does a movie here, He does a play here. He just does things that interest him and that are fun, bottom line.

He's a really good guy, big football fan, it turns out. We both are New York Giants fans. We hear us discuss that at the top. Got the bug while living in New York. So I will step aside and make way for a great conversation with Daniel Radcliffe right now on the Sunday Sitdown podcast. Thanks for doing this, man. It's great to see you. Thank you so much for having me.

Let's start with the important stuff, the New York football giants. Yeah. We're feeling good this year, aren't we? We're both fans. Yeah, it's very, very, it's very unexpected and very exciting. It's a tough division, let's be honest. It is suddenly. Cowboys, us, Washington, lingers.

I mean, I do think, like, I don't think we need to talk about Commanders in that group right now. But, yeah, I do. I mean, I feel like the Eagles have probably got the division sewn up. They look very, very strong. But, hey, we could be playoff-bound for the first time in a while. I think, I don't know. I don't want to jinx him yet. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're winning some very close games.

Yeah. Losing some close ones as well, but we're there. It's the best it's been in a little while, so we'll take it. We'll take it. We've made a leap. I don't think people appreciate what a big fan you are. This is not a casual thing for you. You love the Giants. Yeah.

You play a lot of fantasy football. I'm all in. My family, I am doing badly at fantasy this year, I will say. Even though I have like a great team. I don't know what's happened. I somehow have just like played all the wrong people in the wrong time. But yeah, it's, it's, it's, great. I'm very resentful when I'm working and rehearsing on Sundays at the moment. I'm just

doing like, okay, can we stop doing this song? I just need to quickly check my scores. So there's a little bit of that going on. But fortunately, there's a few other players in the room, which is nice. You've got to get red zone on your phone so you can just kind of look down. One of us might have. Yes, you've got to. You've got to. Well, let's talk about weird. My gosh, what a fun movie. Thank you. About Weird All Yankevick, a guy who was a part of my childhood and a part of millions of people's childhood around the world. How do you describe, I'll let you do it. How do you describe what this movie is?

It's not a biopic per se. Right. What is it? If I'm telling the truth, I say that it is the only thing that, you know, master of song parodies weird out, it is the only thing that his movie biopic could be, which is a parody of movie biopics. So there are some events that are,

The kernel of truth is it. So, for example, Al really did start playing the accordion because he was approached by a door-to-door accordion salesman. He did record my balona in a bathroom originally. But for instance, you know, something happens at the end of that accordion in the salesman scene, which is not true to life. Thank God. Thank God for that man and for Al and his father. So, yeah, so we start off in the third, the first third of the film doing a kind of a slightly plausible shot. by our pick, and then at a certain point, we just go into a fully alternate universe through

the world of Weird Al. It is an alternate universe, but we see some familiar characters. We get Madonna, we get Andy Warhol, we get Wolfman Jack. Pablo, Pablo, it turns up. I don't want to give away too much. A really key part of the story, yeah, absolutely. I mean, the person I have to mention, first and foremost, is Evan Rachel Wood as Madonna. She is magnificent as this character.

and it is a character, it's important to say that just as my version of Al is not like Al, Evans' version of Madonna in terms of the things she does is not like Madonna. But yeah, Madonna and Al obviously get together and have the torrid love affair that everybody knows that they had. And, yeah, Evan is truly the first time she came on set in the costume, in the makeup and hair, you know,

and then started speaking, all of our jaws were on the floor. collectively. I love the choices you've made in your career in the last decade or so, including this one where you just say, this looks fun. So how did this come to you originally? And what did you think when you were asked to play Weird Al Yankovic? So it came to me very boringly through the normal channels of just an email from my agent. And it was the, you know, the officer like, you know, to play Weird Al in the Weird Al-Yal Yankovic story. And I knew, I knew Weird Al very well at that point. And I was just like, well, I know, I mean, I'm very flattered, but I don't really like resemble weird out in any way.

And then I started reading it and I immediately went, oh, right, that's not important. That is not, accuracy is not the name of the game that we're playing here. And then I was like, oh, I could sort of off to the racist reading that script, seeing all the insane, very, very obviously fun stuff to do that I would get to do as this character. It was just a very, very easy choice. Most of my choices now are mainly informed by, do I think I'll have fun doing this? And not that it can't also be hard or it can't deal with hard subject matter. They don't have to be comedies. But do I think that I'll, you know, through the people I'm working with or through the material I get to do,

do you think I'll be happy and enjoy doing this job? And it was so obvious with this script that I would. And when people say, wow, Daniel Radcliffe is Weird Al. Well, you had the same question for Weird Al, I understand. Why me? Yeah, absolutely. And I think, you know, there were certain things about me that reminded him of, you know, the remind of him of each other.

I don't know how to phrase that, apparently. Him of you. Thank you. Him of you. Yeah. Me. That's. But, you know, I think there were some things he had in common sort of, I don't really

believe in, like, souls and spirits and things. But, like, I think on, on that sort of level, on a personality level, we're both, I think maybe my weird choices in film. had made had sort of meant that he had noticed me and then also I had about a decade ago on the Graham Norton show in England I had sung this song called The Elements which is a song by Tom Lera who Al was also a fan of and I think the him realizing that I loved this comedy songwriter that he loved made him think that I would like get it or get the material in some way and I and yeah hopefully that was true because I I was very as I said flattered but surprised.

A little did you know doing Graham Norton 10 years ago would lead you here to do it. I've got a couple of jobs from things I've done on chat shows. I did that and then also the alphabet aerobics, Blackalicious rap I did.

I can't actually remember off the top of my head which director was, but there was definitely a director that said that that was the thing that he noticed about me first. So maybe you'll get something off this. Let's see where this goes. If I do a song later, we'll see, yeah.

Hop up and do it. Maybe the NFL network off your giant's commentary. That's your next swim. That would be, no, that would be good. Is it true that your partner, your girlfriend,

influenced you on this as well? She was a fan of Weird Al and said, you've got to do this? I mean, she didn't, she didn't say you've got to do this, but she,

I mean, I was already very keen to do it, but her and her whole family are massive Weird Al fans, and that's sort of how I came to know Weird Al better. I'd known him a bit growing up, but it was through her and her family.

I really got into it. And so, yeah, There was like the director's reaction and Al's reaction, and then my in-laws reaction in terms of priority about how people feel about this movie. But yeah, so far, they seem really excited about it, so hopefully they like it. Have they seen the film yet? They haven't, no. I'm making them watch on Friday like everyone else. Go buy your ticket.

Yeah, absolutely. Or, you know, stream it. Stream it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Stick around to hear more from Daniel Radcliffe right after the break. Welcome back now more of my conversation with Daniel Radcliffe. So you say you don't look much like them, which is true as you sit here now.

But when you turn up on screen, you look like weird out. You know, makeup and hair does an amazing job, as does costume. And I did grow my own mustache. Oh, that's real. That is real. Good for you. I honestly, like, if I could give a piece of advice to any young actor, it would be, if you can, grow your own facial hair because it's the most... Wigs are fine.

Wigs are never a problem. Fake facial hair is... deeply irritating. So I would, I, I, I, I, when you can grow your own, do it. You've got the spirit glue and the gum. And it comes off throughout the day and it needs lots of touching up. And if you sweat and if it, yeah, it's not, it's, it's, it's not fun. Good tip.

Good tip. Yeah, there you go. Very applicable to everyone. Exactly. If you're chosen for a biopic, grow your own facial hair. Let's talk about the music side of it. It's Al's voice, right? Yeah, yeah.

You're performing along. Was that fun to sing all these famous songs? It was great. As somebody who had never been in a band but always wanted to be, particularly the I Love Rocky Road performance in the Biker Bar was one that just like I had so much fun doing. And yeah, all of the musical performances were really, it was part of the reason I loved doing the film was just that every day there was so much to do and it was all different.

So it would be like a dance sequence or a song and a bunch of scenes and then a fight sequence. And like that, just having to constantly be on your toes, like that is really enjoyable for me. And yeah, the, you know, I studied, I tried to learn the accordion. No one asked me to. But I just felt that it would be very lazy to play Weird Al and not even attempt to pick it up and see how you could do. It's really hard. I did not become very good. But I did enough so that, like, my goal was that on a.

18-day shoot, I wouldn't be limiting our director too much. You wouldn't have to shoot around me or shoot my hands just out of frame. And, you know, so I wanted to at least have my hands in the right place for as much of the songs as I could. I think he did okay. And Al gave you some lessons. Is that true? I gave me some lessons. I was taught by my friend Pete.

And then Al also Pete Scalzzi, I'd say his whole name because Pete could be anyone. And then Al gave me some lessons as well. I recently came clean to Al and admitted that he was very fast when he was playing and I maybe wasn't fully taking it in but I could didn't I didn't want to be like oh can you slow that way down please um but yeah he was very very kind and he did he taught me like the polka beat to beat on the brat which is something I still know and can still do so and you nod along politely while he's playing fast sure I've got it I know just like yeah yeah yeah sure okay um just let me let me let me take tell you let me film that quickly and then I would I would take that and then I would take that and then slow it down. He sent me some videos as well, which I would slow down and try and work out what was happening. Yeah. This movie is produced by the funnier die people. And it is

funny, but it's this tableau of characters and people and guest actors who people are going to be excited to see who they know very well. Was it fun to just sort of like dive into this universe for two weeks, these hilarious scenes with people you probably know and have looked up to? Every day

was huge, like there would be somebody in pretty much, doing a cameo every day. The pool party scene is the craziest scene where we have, you know, half the comedy world of L.A. there practically. My personal favorite in that, well, I love Yorma Tocombe, plays Pee Wee Herman. He does an absolutely perfect Pee-Wee impression. And also, I worked with Yorma.

He directed me, and so I loved seeing him, and he made me laugh a lot. But I made Jack Black laugh at one point off camera, like something I was doing in the scene made him laugh. And I noticed, he, he, I was just like, ah, this, I can go. I should leave now. The, the 11, 12 year old, 14 year old boy in me, who was like devouring all those films. And just, and Tenechus D was, yeah,

so beyond thrilled with that moment. So, yeah, and there were a lot of moments like that. It was, Al can basically, Al cast that scene, basically, but I think they drew up a list of, the director, Eric Appel, and Al, drew up a list. like, here are potential, like, cultural pop icons from this era.

Who could we get? And then who could we get to play them? And they would literally just go through Al's, like, contacts on his phone to go, you know, to cast that scene. And because he's Al, he can just make a call and say, do you want to come do half a day's work? And everyone's like, yeah, we will be there. It's amazing. I don't want to give away too much, but people are going to be so excited to see so many of the people. Particularly that scene's crazy.

Particularly that scene. You mentioned very casually that this was an 18-day film. Yes. For people who don't understand how movies are made, in relationship to other work maybe you've done, what is that like? The average Harry Potter film was 11 months. Now, that is also extreme. Lost City, which is like a fairly big film, was three or four months.

I have shot things before indie movies. So Swiss Army Man was 23 days. And Killie Darnas were 25 days. And they both felt quick. Yeah. I've done one thing that was 16 days, but it was scaled. It was like two, three actors and a plane cockpit. It was nothing.

And then this, like 18 day shoot with six musical numbers and two action sequences and a bunch of other stuff and a bunch of actors and all period hair and makeup and costume. In every conversation I had with our director beforehand, I was like, this isn't possible, is it? And I would never have had the confidence we would be able to do it had he not seemed so assured. I do want to talk about Eric Appel, our director, because it's extraordinary what he did in this film and what he did with the time he had. You cannot make this film unless you are just unbelievably well prepared. And he was that and just a brilliant director of comedy,

but also somehow able to efficiently make this movie without it ever feeling rushed. So yeah, it was a really, it was a pretty remarkable feat. Is there something nice about, it's obviously totally different than what you've done in so many other movies, but about we've just got to go. We think we've got it, let's go on to the next scene.

It's my favorite, actually. Is it really? Yeah, because you have less time to become reflective, and actually I think being reflective isn't always a good thing for an actor, or, you know, certainly too much time to self-analyze is pretty destructive.

So the sort of rapid pace of that, I love. And I think it's also just something about having been on films that took so long to make. getting out of that and feeling, you know, there was one scene in the last Harry Potter film that took roughly two and a half to three months to the film on and off. You know, we could have shot this film many times over in that time. So the feeling of satisfaction you get from doing eight pages in a day as opposed to an eighth of a page a day is much greater.

There's no sitting in your trailer all day. You've just got to go. You've just got to go. Yeah. And Evan certainly would prefer me not be sitting in my trailer because that's where I practiced accordion and she was next door, and she had to listen to a lot of it. I think you pulled it off, though. I think you did.

Yeah, it was okay. You pulled it off. It was good enough. It was good enough. That's all it needed to be. So as you sit here with this film now in the bank, you're getting ready for your next project. You're rehearsing right now. You've come from rehearsals from Merrily.

We Roll Along. Yes. Great to be back on the stage. Excited to be headed back. Yeah, it's going to be. Right now it's the slightly surreal moment of realizing that in, I think, 19 days from now that real people will be coming in and watching. We've sort of been in that blissful place where we're just practicing a play for ourselves,

and it doesn't really matter. But yeah, I'm really excited. I hate, and I'm sorry to anyone who has to listen to this, it's very pretentious sounding. I hate when I have to talk like this, but it is a gift to get this kind of material and to be able to work on material that is, you know, I'm very lucky. My whole career I get to work on amazing stuff, but Sondheim is truly, you know, another level.

And so to be able to work on that with the people I'm getting to work on it with, Lindsay Mendez, Jonathan Groff, and Director, Murray Friedman, and the whole company, yeah, it's very scary right now, but it's a fantastic group of people to be scared with. For people who don't know or appreciate what it means to be in a Sondheim production, why is it so special? What's unique about it? I mean, it's special to me because I grew up listening to so much of it. My mom and dad loved. musicals and would play

a lot of Sondheim shows all the time in the car. So that's and he's always his work has always been a part of my life and my family's life I guess so to be able to be doing that is really special but I mean historically I don't think there's anybody in the last

50 years who's come close to doing what he's done with musicals and with that particular art form I feel like there's him and then there's a big gap and then there's everyone else and you know that it's It's incredible. So to get to, yeah, actually work on it and study.

And you see even more how brilliant it is when you are working on it. And just how, like, lyrics and things are repeated and phrases and themes are sort of sewn in through the whole thing. It's just, it's really, it's amazing to watch a brain work that way. Did you have a favorite at home? Was it West Side Story? It was weirdly, it was company. Oh, yeah. Being alive was the song.

that was obviously, but the whole, like, so the song not getting married today, that was one that I heard Sophie Thompson do on the London cast recording, and I have always liked any song that goes fast and is intricate lyrically, and that was just, that was, I was immediately, like, whoa, what is this?

So that was what had me hooked. That's a good one. That's a good choice and not the obvious choice. Oh, well, okay, good. Forgive the cliched question, what do you get from stage acting that you don't get from being in a film? What do you love about that? Forgive the overly simplistic answer, but like the adrenaline rush.

Like, I feel like that's most of what I grew up on film sets, and so they are a place of incredible, like, comfort, and I love them, and I feel, you know, sometimes more at home there than anywhere else. But in terms of, like, a raw kind of rush of adrenaline, that doesn't do that. theater does and there is something just thrilling and bonding especially with the other actors on stage about knowing that you're out there and you're with each other and that you have to sort of have each other's backs and look out for each other is really an exciting feeling and yeah just getting to produce a story in front of a live audience every night is incredibly exciting because I was saying this earlier because something could go wrong you know there's there's a safety net with film that there isn't with stage and

age and that's one of the things that I think makes it like intoxicating today. Slightly terrifying. Yeah, like you could screw it up and you have to remember not to. Stick around for more of my conversation with Daniel Radcliffe right after a quick break. Welcome back now to the rest of my conversation with Daniel Radcliffe. So you're talking about what you listened to, what you loved growing up. Yeah. You've known from what I can tell that you wanted to be an actor since you were about five or six years old.

what told you that at that age? See, it's interesting. I think I definitely, this is that one of the pitfalls that have done many interviews over the years where I had, I sort of not explained myself properly, but I definitely wanted to be an actor

for the first time when I was like five or six. And it was, I saw a production of a pantomime, which is something that doesn't really exist in America and it's hard to be explained. But like, it's basically like fairy tales done on stage every Christmas. And I went to see a production.

that my mom had cast and I was just like, I want to do that. And both my mom and my dad had had pretty negative experiences as actors. So it was kind of immediate like, oh no, you don't, you don't want to do that. And then I was six and seven and eight and so I just decided

I wanted to be a million other things. And then on Potter, well, my first TV job was David Copperfield, but working on set suddenly I was very, very sure immediately of like, oh, I love this. I love being on set. I don't know. I didn't know necessarily if that was.

And mom and dad were always very good at sort of keeping your options open and going, like, you could do anything on a set or you don't have to do acting. But as I became older and on Potter, it was very clear that I was like, this is the thing I know how to do right now. And I have a lot, a long way to go and a lot to get better at it. But that was my best route to staying on sets and staying in this world that I loved. And yeah, and so it was really, I suppose it was around the third or fourth film that I was completely, you know, knew I wanted to do whatever I had to, to stay in the film industry

for the rest of my life. The David Copperfield job was your first. You were, I think, nine years old when you got that job. What were your parents telling you at that time? Let's give it a try here. See, if you like it, we know how hard it can be. We know the pitfalls of this business, but let's see how it goes for you. Really, all of that. And they were very good always at, you know, not only saying, like, see how it goes and see, but checking in sort of after every job and every year after the first few potters just going, are you still enjoying this? Do you like it?

You know that you don't have to do this if you don't want to. So they were really, you know, I was very lucky in terms of they were very supportive as well. And they wanted me to like it. But they were also always very clear that like if I didn't like it, that was not a problem and we didn't have to do it anymore. Did you ever have any doubts yourself as you moved along? No, not really. There was a moment when my contract after the third film,

wasn't, you know, like we needed to renew it. And, I mean, maybe I thought about it for half a second, but not in any significant way. Like, I loved, so many of my friends were there. Like, I loved, it would have meant leaving so many things that I loved that it just seemed crazy. You were called the most famous 12-year-old in the world when the Harry Potter films took off. After Chris Columbus saw you and David Copperfield. Yes, yeah. They cast you in the first movie.

Did you have any sense at that age of what was happening around you that Harry Potter had taken off and that you were this famous and that people were reading the books and watching the movies and obsessing over it? I mean, I knew that that was happening, but the difference between sort of understanding the words people say when they say, this is a global phenomenon and actually feeling that is huge, particularly as a kid, which I think in a way is great. You wouldn't want a kid to feel the sort of the weight and the sense of expectation of all of that. And so I never did. Also, I think we were actually amazingly sheltered from how the world was receiving the films and how big they were getting by making the films. Because as I said, they took like 10 or 11 months. So like I was going most days in my life, I was spent going to the studios in Leaveston. And you didn't really see the world outside of that.

I've become so much more aware of the Potter fandom and things since finishing the films and sort of the 10 years since than I was when we were actually on it. It was a decade you were in this bubble, bubble almost. Were your parents and was your family sort of aware of it and guiding you along through it? Yes, I mean, as much as anyone can. I do think they, my mom and dad did an amazing job at you take so much of your reaction from your parents when you're that age. an example I always think about is we were flying into Tokyo when I was I think 12 or 13 it was after the second film and we arrived at the airport and I guess for some reason I think at

the time it was very easy to find out who was on a flight so I arrived in Tokyo and there were 5,000 people in the arrivals lounge and we'd been on the plane going over and somebody got a message to us saying like they have a hundred security in arrivals and we were all like, that's ridiculous. Like, what's that for? And then we got there and it was like, oh, this might not be enough. It was the craziest, like, one of the craziest, like, crushes I've ever been through. And, like, you know, I had, I can't remember whose hand I was holding on to you, but my mum or my dad's probably, and we were just, like, going through this mass of people. And we, I was wearing a really now not cool red leather jacket that actually, actually

now with the album, it's probably very cool. But at the time, it was a 12-year-old trying to be cool. We'll find the picture. Great, thank you. And then we got into the car, and my mom and dad were just, like, in hysterics and were just, like, laughing at what, like, a crazy, funny, weird thing that had been. And so did I? And so that was my reaction. My reaction to any intense, weird fame thing has always been like, huh, that's weird.

But, like, yeah, and I think had they reacted shocked or startled or freaked out, then I probably would have been as well. So, yeah, I think I just, like, copied a lot of that. reaction. That's so interesting. You think that's maybe a defense mechanism? It has to be funny or else it's just completely overwhelming. It's too strange. You have to laugh at it because if it's anything else, it's, yeah, it's not good. I guess you've sort of answered my question, but I was going to ask you how you've navigated it so well. You didn't fall into any of the traps of the child stardom could have left for you. You seem like a normal guy sitting across from me here. You live a pretty

private life. How would you say you've done it? I mean, I think it really helps that the thing I always knew that I loved about all of this was the work and being on set. I think if the sort of the life and the trappings of what you think in actors life is, is what you want, then you'll be. And also if fame is in any way the thing that motivates you, then you will be in trouble because fame will go. Like at some point, at some point I'm not going to be famous like I am now. And if fame's a big part of your identity in that way, then you're really screwed when that goes. So I think sort of having some realization of that early on was good and just making the focus

the work. And also, yeah, I had a bunch of really good people around me and my parents. My dresser on set was a guy called Will who was sort of like an older brother figure but also would have absolutely, you know, if I was ever getting cocky or anything like that, like I was going to hear about it from him. So yeah, I think, and then I think I'm naturally, I think going through all that has given me a love of whatever privacy I can have. And so I try to, you know, I'm generally boring enough that like the paparazzi don't really bother with me anymore.

They just see me and be like, okay, I mean, I'll take a photo, but you're not going to do anything, so fine. So yeah, that's really the goal. I know it's not a strategy, but it's a smart way to do it, right? Absolutely. They give up after a while. Yeah. You again, right?

So what was it like to step out of that bubble? And you said you didn't really realize it in real time, but now you're out of it and you're looking at the next chapter of your career and looking back at it, you say, oh my gosh, I can't believe what we've just been through together? I mean, on Potter. Yeah? Yeah, absolutely.

I think I have so much more time for myself and what I was like in the films now than I did just after them. Like, I think if you talked about me to me just after the films, I would sort of been like, you know, I hate my work in them, and I do still hate my work in them. but I'm much more forgiving of it now. I'm just like, you were young and didn't know how to do any of this yet. Like, it's fine. And yeah, I mean, when I was initially coming out of it,

I had no idea what I was going to do. I knew that I wanted to keep acting. And I sort of mentally had a conversation with myself about starting your career from scratch. Like, if you were starting your career from scratch, what would you like that to be and look like from here? And I've been so, and I think for every director out there, that was like, oh, he's only Harry Potter

and I don't want somebody from a big franchise to be in my film. There's another director like John Crickitos who did Killie Darling's, who saw a chance to reinvent something that everyone already knew as a very exciting thing. So a lot of people gave me really cool opportunities and I just sort of kept grabbing them.

And you were in a position where you could make those choices. Right, exactly. I think I get so much credit for doing varied things whereas most actors would love to be doing varied things, but they just have to do the things that they get and get offered. I'm in a financial and career situation that I, at the moment at least, really have free reign to just do the things that I love. So, again, as long as I'm in that situation, I will keep doing that.

One of the things I admire about you, I'm sure you get tired of answering questions about Harry Potter all the time, but you're always so generous to the movie. You're always so, you express such gratitude for the experience. You never roll your eyes at it and say, was me as a kid. Yeah, no. I think I learned so much from those films and not just about, you know, doing, not about

technically acting because I don't think I, I think I've learned a lot of that since as well. Just in terms of being on a film set, like by the time I had finished Potter, I had done more hours on a set than some people will get to do in their lives. Like, there's a, I remember I worked with a young actor once who I was very intimidated by because he'd just come out of a very prestigious drama school. And I knew that we have since become good friends. But we were working together. And I remember on his first day on set,

him asking about marks and asking where to stand near the camera and just things that I realized that, oh, I just know those things because I don't have the training that he has. But I do have another kind of training. And so, yeah, and also just the stamina of those 11-month shoots. So a 23-day something is not going to wear me out. Right. Yeah.

Your training was not theoretical. It was on the job training since you were a child. And unfortunately, like, some of the results is up there, and it's not all great. I 100% see that. But there's definitely, I watch some now, and I go, like, okay, I can see you, I can see myself starting to get better. Do you watch them? You go back and watch, or if they're on TV.

Because when I see clips or something. You know, the last thing I actually watched of myself from that era was the, our auditions. Somebody played me, Emma and Rupert's auditions. And that was one where I was going. Okay, it's not good, but it's also not as bad as I thought it would be. And it's quite still, which I was impressed by for a kid. And my God, you're 11 years old. 11.

Give yourself a break. But I also like, you see something like, I always remember like, she's obviously amazing adult career now, but like Dakota Fanning when she was like, was just giving like insane performance. I mean, child. We were not that. We were child actors. So what is your philosophy?

I think weird is a great example of. how you just sort of look at the world and decide what to do next. Here you are doing a Weird Al Yankovic parody biopic, then rolling into Sondheim right after that. How do you look at the world now professionally? I mean, yeah, I, this year has been amazing. So, like, I got to film Weird earlier this year, and then Lost City came out,

and then I got to film Miracle Workers, and then Weird's coming out, and now I'm starting on Merrily. So I'm really getting to run the gamut of doing different things that I love. I'm just acting on the assumption that at some point this will end and I'll have to take some jobs that I'm not as excited about. But yeah, right now, it's just, I couldn't really wish for anything more. And most of it is, I think actually weird Swiss Army Man and miracle workers all have in common, they are incredible earnestness and sweetness mixed with just psychotic derangement. and that's that if I can have as much of my career sit in that pocket as possible I'd be very happy

it's a great place to be that's a great place to be so the other thing is you're only 33 years old at this point there's an entire highway of road in front of you are there other things you haven't done yet that you think about doing you said well that'd be cool at some point I would really like to direct I've been saying this now for way too long so I have to do something about it soon but I I write and I have written something which I would like to direct. So yeah, just try and get that going in the next couple of years. But that's, yeah, that, that, ultimately, if I can add that to the resume directing and have that be something that's mixed in with everything else that I do,

I really don't want anything else. I just that and acting and, you know, football on Sundays and carry that on for the rest of my life. That sounds pretty good. That would be great. That's a good deal. But for now, Sondheim. We'll let you get through that. Yes.

All right. Yeah. Great to see you, man. Thanks so much for the time. This was fun. Yeah, it's great. My thanks again to Daniel for a great conversation. Such a good guy.

Weird. The Al Yankovic story is streaming now on Roku. You also can catch Daniel at the New York Theater Workshop in a revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Marily We Roll Along. That starts on November 21st. My big thanks to all of you for listening again this week. If you want to hear more of my conversations with all of our guests every week, be sure to click follow.

so you never miss an episode. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday today every weekend on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Sit Down podcast.