With the new Harry Potter series getting closer, Daniel Radcliffe has been getting a lot of questions about any advice he has for Dominic McLaughlin. The actor has previously said he didn’t have advice for McLaughlin and only shared advice for the producers. At the time, he asked them to “let [the young cast] be kids still,” especially in the age of social media. However, I was surprised by his take on why he doesn’t want to give advice.
While the actor was promoting his upcoming movie, Steps, he was asked by AP News Entertainment about handing down the wand. The actor doubled down on not sharing advice, but this time he explained why:
I’m really, truly in the business of not giving Dominic advice. He’s got it, he doesn’t need any advice from me. I don’t want to be like a — because then if I say something to you, then the next interview [with him], people will be like, ‘Oh, Dan said you should do this.’ And I don’t want to haunt this poor child through interviews.
It’s understandable that he doesn’t want to put even more on McLaughlin’s shoulders. It’s a little surprising, though I can see why he doesn’t want to put the young actor under pressure to live up to anything. Meanwhile, he’s not the only Harry Potter actor who has been asked to hand down advice. Bonnie Wright, who played Ginny Weasley, shares a similar opinion to Radcliffe when it comes to telling the next Ginny what to do. She has stated, “I think it’s so important for them to be in their world and their interpretation of it.”
This seems to be largely what the original cast thinks, with Tom Felton also veering away from giving advice on how to portray Draco. However, the Broadway actor focused on the sentimentality of his Harry Potter days and advises the new cast to take lots of pictures. It seems that Radcliffe isn’t the only one not wishing to ‘haunt’ the child actors. Though this take on advice is a little surprising, Radcliffe’s reveal that he’s not a big TV watcher is even more so:
I don’t know if I will [watch] honestly. I’ve been in a lot of Harry Potter already and also, not even because I don’t — I don’t watch any TV. I haven’t seen Breaking Bad, and I haven’t seen Mad Men. I haven’t seen some of the real classics. Eight hours is a lot of anything to watch.
I’m not surprised he hasn’t watched his own franchise, but he’s so behind on so many classics. Perhaps he’ll check out the Harry Potter series with his son. Hopefully, after Season 1 airs, someone will ask him. Though I doubt watching the series will change his stance on giving advice.
Meanwhile, this hasn’t stopped a few of his co-stars. Ralph Fiennes gave some practical advice to whoever takes his place as Voldemort: “Practice your long, flowing, robe walk” and advised him not to trip. Additionally, a pair of Weasleys have shared the sweet gesture they gave to the next Fred and George, up-and-coming actors Tristan and Gabriel Harland. Oliver and James Phelps sent the twins sweet notes wishing the next set of mischief makers the best of luck. They declined to give exact details about what was in the notes, stating they were private messages of encouragement.
The Harry Potter series will arrive on the TV schedule on Christmas Day. It is expected to have a weekly release and will be available with an HBO Max subscription.
