Daniel Radcliffe: ‘You never see a gay actor asked what it’s like to play straight’
Daniel Radcliffe covers the March issue of Out magazine to promote his role as Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings. The movie premiered at Sundance to solid reviews, and Daniel’s performance in particular is receiving critical praise. The Independent even calls out Daniel for “a defining performance,” so perhaps there will be a day when we stop thinking of him as “that kid from Harry Potter.” Admittedly, I still do that.
This Out shoot is really gorgeous and will please anyone with a bit of a crush on this Brit, and the interview is pretty decent as well. Dan has recently discussed his belief that gay sex scenes shouldn’t be any more shocking than straight ones, and he continues that train of thought here. What I’m most impressed about, however, is how Dan interacted with the on-set cast and crew on this movie. He sounds like a terribly nice guy in spite of his status as a big-time movie star. Here are some excerpts:
On losing the Harry Potter image: “I’ve always said that it’s a long process, and in a way it may be a lifelong one. It’s about proving to people that I’m in this for the long haul, and that I wasn’t just looking to get as famous as I could for as long as I could and ride that out. I love almost every aspect of this industry and I want to be in it, and if I could drop dead on a film set at 80, that’s how I’d want to go.”
On playing a gay role: “You never see a gay actor getting asked what it’s like to play straight — to my knowledge, at least, there is no difference in how heterosexual and homosexual people fall in love.”
On challenging the challengers: “I can see why people are skeptical about me playing Allen Ginsberg. I don’t look like him, and I’m English and middle-class and not from New Jersey. But that’s what I think is so exciting about it, because people have no idea.”
Director John Krokidas on Dan: “He literally gets to know the names of every member of his crew on set and remembers them. On our set, he was playing Words With Friends with some of the P.A.s — he’s that guy. Before I sent out the script, I said, ‘Oh sh-t, Daniel’s not Jewish,’ and my boyfriend said, ‘Of course he’s Jewish — everyone in the world knows that. Didn’t you see the shots from Equus? He’s only British from the waist up.'”
On being a child actor: “I’ve got great parents who would never have allowed me to become a c-cky, obnoxious sh-t. The thing I learned, much more than learning about acting, was learning about on-set etiquette As a lead actor on a film you have a tremendous opportunity to influence the entire process by virtue of the attitude you take toward it every day. If you come in raring to go, ready and energized, nobody else has any excuses.”
He can’t watch thePotter movies: “I certainly wouldn’t watch number three, I wouldn’t watch the first two, I wouldn’t watch four. I might watch five.” He pauses. “I definitely wouldn’t watch six.”
[From Out]
I love how Daniel still describes himself as middle-class even though he’s obviously got enough money in the bank to live for several lifetimes without financial worry. He also manages to admit that he can’t watch the Potter movies without sounding like a stuck-up jerk. How does he do that? I know this guy is rumored to be a rowdy, gregarious drunk, but I’d still like to have a drink with him.
Photos courtesy of Out magazine
