Daniel Radcliffe has distanced himself from the Harry Potterfranchise in recent years, happy to pass on the wand to a new generation, but the acclaimed British actor has now recalled one his favorite memories from filming.
"All of the stunt work that I got to do was mind-blowing, and it's still," he shared. "There was one shot where I had to start underwater, and then I was on a wire, and they would pull me out of the water, and there was a burning ring of fire around me that goes to the top and then up."
The stunt he was referencing was in the sixth movie, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, released in 2009, and sees Dumbledore save Harry at the Dark Lake. "It was in a part of the end of that sequence, and like bursting out of the water through a ring of fire is something that I have not forgotten," he told People magazine.
The Harry Potter series featured eight films and starred Daniel, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton, and Dame Maggie Smith.
© Bruce Glikas/WireImageThe franchise changed Daniel's life, but he refused to be typecast, and has appeared in comedies, horror, and the surreal, as well as becoming a Tony Award winner for the 2023 revival of Merrily We Roll Along.
HeHe has fully embraced his legacy, however, proudly acknowledging he will always be associated with the role, but calling on fans to allow new generations to discover new iterations of J.K Rowling's books, coming in 2027.
© Getty ImagesA new HBO Max series will take fans back to Hogwarts, and retell the stories of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, promising to be a faithful adaptation of the original Harry Potter novels, with each season expected to follow one book in the seven-part series.
It will stream exclusively on HBO Max, and stars Scottish actor Dominic McLaughlin portraying a young Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and completing the trio is Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
© Aidan Monaghan/HBOThe supporting cast features several big names, including Nick Frost as Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore and Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall.
"I would like not to be weird spectral phantoms in these children’s lives. Just let them get on [with it], it’s going to be a new, different thing. I’m sure Dominic is going to be better than me," Daniel told Variety in 2025.
Daniel remains friends with Rupert and Emma, and revealed that they have spoken about the new series, and are excited to see a new adaptation.
"It's one of those where I think we all just know how the others feel, because we're also feeling it," he said. "You just see the pictures of these kids, and you just want to grab them and hug them. That's the impulse that I think that we, mainly, all have."
