Daniel Radcliffe is making his Broadway return less than two years after winning his very first Tony award, in the new Broadway debut of Duncan Macmillan's play Every Brilliant Thing.
The 36-year-old will star in the one-man show that goes through a person's journey with grief, loneliness and self-sufficiency, involving extensive audience participation. The show opened for previews at the Hudson Theatre on February 21, and will end its limited engagement on May 24.
© Getty ImagesHowever, Daniel's journey to the play first started out as a "No," as he recently told the New York Times, due to his son. The actor shares a two-year-old son with his longtime girlfriend Erin Darke, with both endeavoring to keep their family life out of the spotlight.
In his new interview, the former Harry Potter star shared rare insight into life as a father, including how his projects are more carefully considered than before so as to spend more time with his son.
© Getty Images"The bar for what will take me away from my family has definitely got higher," he told the publication, explaining that he originally turned the offer to do the play down because it would've based him in London, while his family lives in New York City. He did jump at the opportunity to bring it to Broadway, however.
When asked why he wants to continue working at all, given he doesn't have to when it comes to finances at the very least, the Merrily We Roll Along star replied: "It's such a funny question. I've worked since I was 9. I don't know what life is without some sense of this. We've all got to do something to distract ourselves until we die, and acting is a great, fun thing to do that with."
Further gushing about his son, whose name has not yet been publicly revealed, Daniel added: "He's just this ball of joy – so happy and funny and sweet – which I find both beautiful and heartbreaking."
"I get really protective, and I suddenly understand every instinct every parent has of home-schooling and moving to the woods."
© Getty ImagesAs for whether his son has any idea of his dad being the Boy Who Lived who led an entire cinematic franchise, Daniel explained that his son is still too young to get Harry Potter. Although, when asked if he'd read the books to him, he answered: "If he gets into them, I totally will."
"But I don't think I'll nudge him toward them, because I don't think I'll need to — he'll find them eventually," even quipping that it might be "ideal" for his son to discover the franchise through the upcoming HBO series rather than his involvement. "Hopefully I can just put that on, and he doesn't have to watch me in it. That'd be, honestly, the ideal."
© Alamy Stock Photo, TCD, Prod.DBOne big change being a father has brought about, he revealed, is that he's now given up smoking. "I'd done it for long enough," the star noted. "I started, honestly, just having intrusive thoughts about my own death, and not being around for his growing up."
