Starring in a world-renowned and award-winning film saga such as Harry Potter would be any actor’s dream. In fact, Daniel Radcliffe met global fame before the age of eleven, and for a decade he grew up in the public eye as Harry Potter, the beloved and famous wizard who defeated Voldemort. But there is a problem with these major roles: they not only strongly impact the lives of actors, but also box them into a single role. For a long time, Radcliffe and Harry Potter were, to the eyes of the audience, the same person. Not to speak of the danger of not re-inventing oneself, being forgotten, and therefore being only remembered for one good role as a child actor. That is why, over the years, the English actor worked hard to amaze audiences in new roles, proving that he is much more versatile and risk-taking than he had shown us at the beginning of his career, deliberately starring in several movies that completely separated him from what had been, so far, his most important role.
Clearly, among Radcliffe’s best performances there is a fair amount of the Harry Potter saga, but there is much more to the actor than being The Boy Who Lived. Therefore, as we wait for the Harry Potter 20th anniversary special, let’s take a look at some of his best performances unrelated to the Harry Potter saga.
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8 My Boy Jack
This 2007 film is inspired by David Haig’s 1997 play of the same name and follows the story of Jack Kipling (Daniel Radcliffe), the only son of the writer and poet Rudyard Kipling (David Haig) who wants to enlist in the navy as World War I begins. After being turned down several times due to his eyesight problems, his father pulls military influence to get Jack in anyway, so the boy undertakes military training and goes off to fight. Jack proves to be a popular officer among his troops, and on his 18th birthday he is ordered to lead a squad. Unfortunately, he is declared missing in action and his family spends the next few years looking for him only to find out the sad truth: the boy had lost his glasses in the battle and was fatally shot by the enemy.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 Swiss Army Man
Hank (Paul Dano) is a suicidal castaway who finds himself all alone on a deserted island, or at least that’s what he thinks. But one day, after making up his mind to commit suicide, he spots a corpse washed up on shore.That’s how he meets Manny (Daniel Radcliffe), a half-dead, flatulent man with special powers who has no memory of his life. Hank finds a way to communicate with Manny and together they develop a strange friendship during a surreal, flatulence-ridden journey, setting off on an epic adventure.
Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert made their directorial and writing debut with Swiss Army Man. In addition to the leads, the cast is rounded out by Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Timothy Eulich, Marika Casteel and Richard Gross.
6 Escape From Pretoria
Escape From Pretoria, directed by Francis Annan, is based on true events and features a strong cast: Daniel Radcliffe as the main actor, accompanied by Daniel Webber, Ian Hart and Mark Leonard.The film is based on the book Escape Inside Out: From Pretoria Prison by Tim Jenkin, who was actually involved in the making of the film to oversee every single detail of the movie. Radcliffe plays Timothy Peter Jenkin, an activist and political prisoner in Pretoria Central Prison. He and his fellow inmates plan to escape and prove that it is possible, no matter how secure the prison may be. To do so, they come up with a plan that will take time and patience, as they must make wooden keys to open the prison’s cells and doors. However, they must be careful with the guards, who are on the lookout for any excuse to punish them in the worst way.
5 What If
What If is the story of Wallace (Daniel Radcliffe) and Chantry (Zoe Kazan), two young adults who meet by chance at a party that neither planned to attend. Wallace is at a point in his life where everything is uncertain and he wants to recover a bit of structure. Chantry, in contrast, seems to have her life under control: she has a job, a solid relationship, and her plans seem to be going according to plan. Even though they are in very different situations, the two hit it off and strike up a casual relationship, and before long they become great friends. But there is only one problem: the undeniable chemistry between them that goes beyond friendship.
This 2013 film was directed by Michael Dowse and the rest of the cast included Adam Driver, Megan Park, Mackenzie Davis and Rafe Spall, among others. It was well received by the audience, scoring an average of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes.
4 Kill Your Darlings
While attending Columbia University, young Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe) meets Lucien Carr (Dane DeHaan), an extremely handsome and refined fellow student, and from that moment on Ginsberg’s life changes completely. Lucien draws Ginsberg into his bohemian world of poets and polemics and introduces him to William Burroughs (Ben Foster) and Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston). All four will reject the rules of political correctness and decide to challenge the current society, developing the ideas that would later give rise to the beat generation.
From the outside, they are watched by David Kammerer (Michael C. Hall), who is desperately in love with Lucien Carr, and is surprisingly found dead. This is how these poets’ world will take a complete turn when Kerouac, Burroughs and Carr are arrested for the murder. Kill Your Darlingsmarked the directorial debut of John Krokidas, and was well received by critics, garnering several nominations at festivals.
3 The Tailor of Panama
This 2001 movie was a highly popular adaptation of the mythical novel by John Le Carré, and was directed by John Boorman with the memorable presence of Pierce Brosnan in a role he plays very well: a spy.
Due to an affair with the wife of an ambassador, the spy Andy Osnard (Pierce Brosnan) is assigned to Panama. Once there, he gets in touch with Harry Pendel (Geoffrey Rush), a tailor with a very shady background, but very well connected with political and mafia personalities. Moreover, his wife Luisa (Jamie Lee Curtis) works for the country’s president.Osnard’s mission is precisely to find out what the Panamanian president’s intentions are regarding the canal and he starts to put pressure on Pendel, regardless of whether what he tells him is true or not. Daniel Radcliffe had a small role in this film as Mark Pendel, the tailor’s son.
2 Imperium
Nate Foster (Daniel Radcliffe) is a young FBI agent who has been given a new mission: to infiltrate a group of neo-Nazis who believe in white supremacy and are trying to make an extremely dangerous bomb. Foster will attempt to dismantle this dangerous right-wing extremist group from the inside, but to do so he must face the challenge of adopting a new identity that will not arouse suspicion, while keeping his principles intact. Daniel Ragussis made his feature debut with Imperium, which is based on the true story of former FBI agent, Michael German. The film’s main cast includes Daniel Radcliffe, Toni Collette, Tracy Letts, Sam Trammell and Nestor Carbonell.
1 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
This 2020 movie is the sequel to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the hit Netflix series written by Tina Fey and starring Ellie Kemper featuring Kimmy, a woman who was rescued after spending fifteen years locked in a bunker by a religious fanatic. From that moment on, she decides to get her life back, and soon finds herself in New York, living with an aspiring Broadway actor and working as a nanny for an eccentric millionaire.
In the movie she has already found her place in the world and is about to marry Prince Frederick (Daniel Radcliffe). Nevertheless, she discovers the existence of another bunker with women held captive by Reverend Wayne. Only three days before her wedding, Kimmy decides to go out to rescue the prisoners with the help of Titus (Tituss Burgess) in an interactive adventure in which the audience can choose the path of the protagonists.
This is Netflix’s second interactive movie following Bandersnatch, but altogether there are now nine interactive contents on the platform. Kimmy vs. The Reverend had excellent reviews, garnering a score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
