6 March 2026
Daniel Radcliffe would prefer his son not to go into acting, despite being a former child star himself.
Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t want his son to act
The 36-year-old star was just 11 years old when he auditioned to play Harry Potter, and went on to enjoy global success thanks to the movies, but he doesn’t want his two-year-old little boy – who he has with partner Erin Darke – to follow in his parents’ footsteps because he thinks it would be better for his self-worth.
Asked if he’d like his son to be an actor too, Daniel said on The View: “I would rather he isn’t. Me and Erin are both actors, so he’ll see us being passionate and loving our jobs.
“I feel like a lot of actors, so much of how we feel about ourselves is tied into our work. I’d love for him to get a job where his sense of identity and self-worth is not as tied to that.”
During his appearance on the talk show to promote his NBC comedy The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, Daniel was left squirming with embarrassment when they showed one of his early auditions to play Harry Potter.
Co-host Sunny Hostin said: “Soon, [your son is] going to realise that his dad is Harry Potter, because it’s been 25 years since you starred in the first Harry Potter movie.
“You were 11 years old when you auditioned for the role. Of course, this is The View, so we have a clip.”
As the footage aired on a split screen, Daniel could be seen shaking his head and mouthing: “It’s bad.”
But when it finished, the audience applauded and Sunny said: “That is so good!”
Daniel replied: “I disagree, but thank you very much. Now I can look at that and be like, it’s cute.”
The View anchor Whoopi Goldberg also praised Daniel after the clip aired.
She said: “You evolved it. You went from that, which, in spite of what you think, it’s really good, which is why you got the gig. But you’ve evolved, and that’s the beautiful thing.”
