Photo: REX USA.
Daniel Radcliffe is just like you. That's the message the 25-year-old actor tried to convey in a recent interview with As If magazine. In fact, it's a shtick that many famous actors peddle — because the more relatable they seem, the more the public adores them, and the bigger their careers become. Just ask Jennifer Lawrence.
"I hope one of the things that surprises people when they meet me is that I am really quite normal," Radcliffe told the magazine. As someone who's met the actor on multiple occasions, I can attest that this isn't a clever PR spin perpetrated by an actor worth approximately $110 million. He really does seem like a regular guy.
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Our first encounter was during an interview for his film, Kill Your Darlings. Radcliffe was still relatively fresh off the Harry Potter franchise and eager to prove that he had the chops to build a legitimate career. Perhaps that accounted for his disarming nature and affability; he needed us as much as we needed him.
A year later I encountered Radcliffe in a hotel elevator and, once again, he was just as courteous and charming as we chatted about that day's football games. One would think that someone who's grown up under the glare of the spotlight would be cautious and jaded. It's a preconceived notion that Radcliffe consciously tries to shatter.
"The aura of fame is bullshit. People who enjoy being treated differently and revel in the attention that others give them are generally people I don't like very much," he said. "I obviously know that my experience isn't the same as everybody else's, but when I talk to people, I don't feel separate from them in any way."
But, it's admittedly hard not to feel a little alien when fans burst into tears upon meeting you — which happens to Radcliffe as frequently as one imagines. "It's an awful feeling, particularly when they are 13 or 14-year-old girls," he added. "I feel horrible that they're crying. It's not worth crying about. Please! They are mostly crying out of excitement, but I still don't know how to deal with that."
Thanks for not mentioning me by name, dude. (As If)