Daniel Radcliffe has called on the media to stop asking the new cast of HBO's 'Harry Potter' series about the original film actors. In an interview with ScreenRant, the 35-year-old actor urged journalists to let Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout—who are taking over the roles of Harry, Hermione, and Ron—focus on their own performances.
Radcliffe said: 'When these kids got cast, there is a whole thing around the internet being like, “We have to look after these kids!” If you really mean that, then one of the things you can do is don’t ask about us – me, Emma [Watson] and Rupert [Grint] – all the time. I would like not to be weird spectral phantoms in these children’s lives. Just let them get on [with it], it’s going to be a new, different thing. I’m sure Dominic is going to be better than me.'
The actor revealed he wrote a letter to McLaughlin after the young actor was cast, offering support. McLaughlin later described receiving Radcliffe's message as 'insane' and said he 'was going mad.' Radcliffe added: 'I wrote to Dominic and sent him a letter and he sent me a very sweet note back. I don’t want to be a specter in the life of these children but I just wanted to write to him to say, “I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did.”'
Rupert Grint similarly wrote to Alastair Stout, telling the BBC last year: 'I wrote him a letter before they started, passing the baton as it were. It was really just wishing him all the best with it. I had so much fun stepping into this world, and I hope he has the same experience.'
Radcliffe, who has only watched his own 'Harry Potter' films once or twice, joked that he plans to show his children the reboot instead. 'I’ll probably show my kid that so he doesn’t have to watch me. I think that will be more fun. I would probably enjoy it more… I hate watching myself, generally.'
