![12/6/19 3:10:47 PM -- New York, NY, U.S.A -- Daniel Radcliffe talks about his TBS sitcom \"Miracle Workers,\" on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019 in New York. -- Photo by Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY Staff ORG XMIT: RD 138376 Daniel Radcliffe 12/5/2019 [Via MerlinFTP Drop] Xxx Daniel Radcliffe Rd013 Jpg Fbn Usa Ny.](/_next/image?url=%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2026%2F03%2Fdaniel-radcliffe-2.jpg&w=1200&q=80)
Daniel Radcliffe admits during a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal that he hopes his son won’t follow in his career footsteps with acting.
He shares a two-year-old son with long-term partner Erin Darke.
Radcliffe’s Experiences
Radcliffe got thrust into the spotlight early on in his life, and while he successfully navigated that time into adulthood acting, it doesn’t happen for everyone.
“People often talk about me, Rupert [Grint] and Emma [Watson] and the Harry Potter kids in general as being a good example of, ‘See, it can all be fine,’ and yes it can be, but we all worked really hard on ourselves to make it fine,” he shared.
Radcliffe’s experience was unique, too, for a couple of different reasons, including his love of being on set.
“I’m also so aware of how tricky it can be — I think it’s very different growing up on a Harry Potter set in the U.K. The [same] crew was mostly there for 10 years, so we were surrounded by a group of people that really cared about us. I was also really lucky with my parents. They had the right balance of being like, ‘This is all really special and really cool, but also there’s some stuff about this that is really weird.'”
Wanting His Son to Avoid Acting
When it comes to acting, Radcliffe doesn’t want his son to join the industry, and for some good reasons. He notes the industry can be “tricky,” and often child actors or even adult actors can fall to the wayside and struggle with addiction or mental health problems.
Talking to WSJ, Radcliffe says, “I honestly wouldn’t want my son to act or to become famous. The thing for me that was the biggest difference-maker was I loved being on set.”
He also mentions how “protective” he is of his son, and that he “suddenly understands every instinct a parent has of home-schooling and moving to the woods.”
While they have not moved to the woods, Radcliffe and Darke are private. They keep their family life out of the spotlight as much as possible. Instead of following stardom, the actor would rather his son follow a more normal career path.
Watching the Harry Potter Series
Similar to staying out of acting, Radcliffe would like his son to experience Harry Potter without him in it. Ideally, he will watch the upcoming HBO TV show and learn about the franchise. This would replace watching the old movies with Radcliffe in them.
In an interview with ScreenRant, he shared he’s only watched himself “once or twice.” He would rather watch the TV series than watch himself on screen.
Radcliffe’s Future Aspirations
Radcliffe doesn’t want to continue just in acting; he wants to pursue other parts in the film industry, too. During his interview, he shared that a dream role would be to become a director.
“That’s the thing I would love to do in the next five, 10 years,” he shared. “I’ve written a script that I would love to make purely because I’ve always said I would like the first thing I make to be something I write, so that if I screw it up, I’m only screwing up my own material.”
We’ll have to wait and see whether Daniel Radcliffe’s directing aspirations come to fruition. Plus, which path will his son choose as a career?