AP and Variety: Daniel Radcliffe Says the New Harry Potter Star Needs No Advice From Him

Daniel Radcliffe has decided the kindest thing he can do for the boy now playing Harry Potter is to say nothing at all. In an interview with the Associated Press, carried by Variety on November 9, Radcliffe said he has no advice for Dominic McLaughlin, the 12 year old cast as Harry in HBO's upcoming series, and that he is not sure he will watch the show.

I have written a lot on this site about protecting children, and about the pressure the world puts on young people. This small celebrity story belongs in that conversation, because it is really about a grown man shielding a child from a spotlight he knows too well.

What Radcliffe Said

Asked whether he would watch the new adaptation, Radcliffe told the AP, "I don't know if I will, honestly." He explained that he has already watched and been in "a lot of Harry Potter," and added that he does not watch much television at all. He said he has never seen Breaking Bad or Mad Men, and joked that eight hours is a lot of anything to watch.

On the question of advice for McLaughlin, his answer was firm. "I'm really, truly in the business of not giving Dominic advice," he said, according to Variety. "He's got it. He doesn't need any advice from me."

Why He Is Staying Quiet

Radcliffe gave a reason that says more than the quote itself. If he offered a tip, he said, the next reporter to sit down with McLaughlin would ask the boy about it. "I don't want to haunt this poor child through interviews," he told the AP.

He did offer something warmer than advice. He said McLaughlin is "gonna be amazing," and that he hopes to meet him someday.

Radcliffe knows exactly what that young actor is walking into. He was cast as Harry as a boy and played him in eight films released by Warner Bros. from 2001 to 2011. Every interview he gave for a decade circled back to the same character. He grew up in public, and every word he said was clipped, quoted and compared.

The Lesson for the Rest of Us

There is a habit in our culture of treating famous children as public property. Fans want a comment, reporters want a headline, and older stars are expected to pass the torch on camera. Radcliffe stepped out of that routine on purpose.

What I respect here is the restraint. He could have used the moment to talk about himself, or to set the terms for how the new Harry should be played. Instead, he made sure the boy's own interviews would be about the boy. That is a form of protection, and it costs nothing but ego.

Parents, coaches and mentors face a smaller version of the same choice every day. Sometimes the most useful thing an adult can do is to step back and let a young person find their own footing, with encouragement but without a script.

Where Radcliffe Is Now

Radcliffe has kept a busy career since the films ended. Variety noted that he currently appears opposite Tracy Morgan in the NBC comedy The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, and that he is part of the voice cast of the animated film Steps, which arrives on Netflix on November 20.

Nothing in the interview suggests any tension with the new production. He simply drew a line between the role he played and the boy who plays it now. The accurate version of this story is short: a former child star wished his successor well and promised to stay out of his way.

What Is Confirmed

Confirmed, according to the AP interview as reported by Variety: Radcliffe is unsure whether he will watch HBO's Harry Potter, he will not give McLaughlin advice, and he hopes to meet him one day. Anything beyond that, including how he feels about the new casting in detail, is speculation until he says more.

For my part, I hope more adults in the public eye follow his lead. Let the kids be kids, even when they are standing in the brightest light in the world.