The Harry Potter movies might have ended back in 2011, but they're still regularly re-watched by fans with a HBO Max subscription. Fans watched as the Harry Potter cast grew up before our eyes, chief of which being Daniel Radcliffe himself. He's heard a ton of jokes about his time as The Boy Who Lived, but recently recalled one that happened in the wild that legit cracked him up. Let's break it all down.
While fans of the Wizarding World wait for the Harry Potter TV show's release, Daniel Radcliffe is promoting the pro shot of his Broadway show Merrily We Roll Along. During a recent appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, the Tony-winning actor spoke about hearing endless Potter jokes over the years, saying:
It’s very rare that I experience a Harry Potter joke in the wild that makes me laugh. Not because they’re bad, [it’s] just because I’ve heard all of them, and it has to be really good to make me laugh. And the last time I was here, I have a son and we — I don’t say his name on TV or talk about it. And so the last time I was here, they were having a production meeting backstage.
Daniel Radcliffe became a father in 2023, and has been trying to keep his child away from the public eye. That includes not mentioning his name in public. And when setting that boundary on Seth Meyers, he ended up hearing a particularly memorable Harry Potter joke.
Later in the same segment, Seth Meyers went on to share the punch line that made even Radcliffe giggle. While young Harry Potter fans don't recognize him anymore, the same can't be said for adults. Case in point: the following give and take that happened backstage at Late Night. As Meyers told it:
I was like, ‘Tell me how old Daniel’s child is.’ And they were like, you know, ‘Like two years old, but he never says — they don’t say his name publicly.’ And then my producer, Kevin Miller, said, ‘Is it Voldemort?’
I mean, how perfect is that? Miller saw a connection between Radcliffe not saying his kids' name and the way Voldemort was referred to as "You Know Who" or "He Who Must Not Be Named" throughout the Harry Potter franchise. The Now You See Me actor admitted:
It’s really good. It’s a really good joke.
While Radcliffe has heard countless Harry Potter jokes throughout the years, the one that came from Late Night legit got him chuckling. The connection was just too perfect, as was the idea that he named his son Voldemort.
The entire Harry Potter franchise is streaming now on HBO Max, which will also be the home of the forthcoming TV show. Unfortunately, that upcoming book to screen adaptation isn't expected to release until 2027.
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