Daniel Radcliffe used to be "deeply unhappy," but since he became a father, he hardly recognizes himself.
The Harry Potter alum, 36, made a rare comment about his three-year-old son with his longtime girlfriend Erin Darke on Tuesday, revealing how much he has changed in the last decade.
Daniel, who is starring in the one-man Broadway production Every Brilliant Thing, admitted his younger self "would not have recognized" the man he has become.
"There have been times in my life when I have been deeply unhappy, particularly when I was much younger," he said during a post-show panel with Project Healthy Minds CEO Phil Schermer, according to People.
"I spent today with my three-year-old son walking along the street, with him just holding my hand and being gorgeous and fun and silly – and I'm so happy," he continued.
"If you showed them to me when I was 20, I would not have recognized myself. There is such potential for profound happiness in the future, even if it's not where you are right now. It's always worth giving the future a chance to prove you wrong."
© Getty ImagesEvery Brilliant Thing goes through a person's journey with grief, loneliness, and self-sufficiency, involving extensive audience participation, but he originally turned it down because it would have taken him away from his son.
"The bar for what will take me away from my family has definitely got higher," he told the New York Times, explaining that the play 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.
© Getty ImagesWhen 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 nine.
"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."
© Getty Images"I get really protective, and I suddenly understand every instinct every parent has of homeschooling and moving to the woods."
In the past, Daniel has been resolute about not wanting his son to become an actor or be famous the way his parents are, but during a recent appearance on The View, he did suggest one exception.
"I would rather he isn't," he responded when Joy Behar asked whether his son might become an actor too.
© Getty Images"That's the thing, me and Erin are both actors, he'll see us being passionate and loving our jobs."
He added: "If he ended up behind the camera, I would love it, I would really be into it. And I would love for him to get a job where his sense of identity and self-worth is not tied to that, and he can just enjoy…whatever!"
