Daniel Radcliffe on Fame, Self-Doubt, and Falling in Love

Daniel Radcliffe in Parade MagazineDaniel Radcliffe opens up about life after Potter, falling in love, and fame in this weekend's issue of PARADE. And with his first post-Harry Potter film — the psychological thriller The Woman in Black — out next month, the actor admits he doesn't do well without fear.

In the highlights below, the 22-year-old star discusses entering the second stage of his career and what it means to really be in love.

Be sure to check out this weekend's issue of PARADE magazine in your local newspaper for the full interview with Daniel Radcliffe.

Are you a romantic?
"Yes. I don’t know where my romanticism comes from. My mom and dad would read to me a lot. Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, tales of chivalry and knights, things like that. Those are the stories I loved growing up. I still see something very romantic in the world that perhaps isn’t there. I suppose I want it to be the place of knights and that kind of stuff.”

From boy wizard to leading man — see photos of Radcliffe through the years >>

Knights marry princesses. Do you want to get married?
"Yes, absolutely. When growing up, I thought of marriage as being very official, drawing up a contract. It seemed slightly clinical to me. But then you meet somebody that you really love and you think, 'Actually, I wouldn’t mind standing up in front of my friends and family and telling them how much I love you and that I want to be with you forever.'

Are you in love with girlfriend Rosie Coker? [Radcliffe met Coker, a production assistant, on the set of the last Potter film.]
"Yes, absolutely. When Rosie’s here, every day seems better….I’m not an easy person to love. There are lots of times when I’m a very good boyfriend, but there are times when I’m useless. I mean, I’m a mess around the house. I talk nonstop. I become obsessed with things. This year it’s fantasy football, which means Rosie has to listen to me talking 24 hours a day about this team. 'Should I take this player out, do you think, darling?' And she listens to it, and she loves me for my oddness, my awkwardness, all of those things that I hate about myself. She finds them cute. I guess that’s love."

Daniel Radcliffe on why he gave up alcohol and his thoughts on religion >>

Why was that?

"I hated dating because I’m crap at it! [laughs] With Rosie, I didn’t know what was appropriate, like on which date you’re supposed to try and kiss her. At the end of the second date I pulled a move out of the Bela Lugosi Book of Woo—I went to kiss Rosie and at the last minute lost my nerve and ended up kissing her neck, which is such a weirdly intimate place to kiss somebody on a second date. Afterward, I texted her, saying, 'I’m sorry, what I just did probably seems very odd to you.' Fortunately, she just found it really funny, so she kept coming back."

Parade Magazine

You’ve had enormous success for someone so young. Do you fear that it won’t last?
"Yes. But it’s reality, not fear. It will happen, and I have accepted that. In a way it’s a great relief that I will never, ever do a film as successful as the Harry Potter series. But neither will anybody else. [laughs] Or it will take them a long time.”

Find out if Radcliffe wants to be a dad and go behind-the-scenes of his photo shoot >>

This past year, you starred in your first musical, did you worry that the critics would be gunning for you because you’re a young, successful movie star?
"[laughs] I knew they would. But I’ve worked out recently that I don’t do very well without fear. There needs to be a part of me saying, 'You can’t do that—that’s going to fail,' for me to prove myself wrong. What I’ve learned, particularly this year, is that all actors—no matter their status or brilliance—still feel like fools."
 
Fools?
"Yes, like we’re conning people and we’re not really any good at it. What I learned is that acting is to a large extent about trying to stave off self-doubt long enough to be natural and real onstage. I’m at the point in my career where I should be learning a huge amount from every job I do, and unless something’s going to give me that, I’m not really very attracted to it."

Related link:

From boy wizard to leading man — see photos of Radcliffe through the years >>

Daniel Radcliffe on why he gave up alcohol and his thoughts on religion >>

Find out if Radcliffe wants to be a dad and go behind-the-scenes of his photo shoot >>