Daniel Radcliffe doesn't want the new Harry Potter actors to always be asked about him, Emma Watson, or Rupert Grint: "I would like not to be some weird spectral phantom"

Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter — (Image credit: Warner Bros. Pictures)

Original Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe has one request to help the new actors in the HBO adaptation settle into their magical roles.

After discussing calls to protect the new Harry Potter actors from outside noise in an interview with Screen Rant, Radcliffe commented, "If everyone really means that… one of the things you can do is not ask [them] about us – me, Emma [Watson], and Rupert [Grint] – all the time. I would like not to be some weird spectral phantom in these children's lives."

Radcliffe, who portrayed The Boy Who Lived across eight movies in a decade, also boldly declared, "I'm sure Dominic is going to be better than me." The actor then recalled his own experience: "I learned as I went… I look back on what I did now with a lot more kindness and I find it less embarrassing now."

The upcoming HBO Harry Potter series, on which J.K. Rowling is an executive producer, has been the subject of criticism and debate due to the author’s public stance on gender identity, which continues to challenge the inclusivity at the heart of the Harry Potter community. It was a similar situation with the Hogwarts Legacy launch, and you can read more about the Hogwarts Legacy controversy in our explainer.