Daniel Radcliffe will most likely be a household name for the rest of his life. His immediate celebrity at age twelve could have made him into a one-role-and-done type of child star. However, he remains in the public eye, finding new projects and proving that he has no intention of going anywhere.

Radcliffe is at a point in his career where he can choose any number of projects. But what has he chosen so far and does his track record allow us to look ahead to what may be coming next?

The Young Wizard Harry Potter

     Warner Bros.

Radcliffe’s first major role was in the Harry Potter franchise. Plucked from obscurity, he was the lead child actor in a franchise that aged into their roles to such perfection that the casting director must have had a crystal ball. He went from an adorable wizard learning the ropes to a teenage soldier leading magical armies against the most evil of evils. But in 2011, the cash cow disappeared. Harry Potter had run his course and the questions began to swirl about whether Radcliffe would end up as another Haley Joel Osment whose meteoric rise stopped dead after a hailed first role.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

However, before the Potter series was even complete, Radcliffe struck while the iron was hot and in 2008 went to Broadway for Equus. This role was met with cheers from critics and audiences, earning Radcliffe a nomination for the Dramatic Desk Award. It also began the process of proving Radcliffe had more than enough talent to escape the pull of the Potter orbit.

Post-Potter Mainstream Career

     TBS

With a winning franchise and a handful of awards, the actor was essentially allowed to pick and choose how his career would progress. He didn’t take this opportunity to rest. Rather, he jumped back into the fray with three mainstream films: The Woman in Black, Victor Frankenstein, and Now You See Me 2. It was a good run and once again showed his popular range.

One of the things that set Radcliffe apart from other actors is that among his mainstream successes, he has chosen interesting and different independent film roles. The type of movies that may not bring enormous acclaim, but that Radcliffe took mainly because they seemed either fun or interesting. The first was the 2013 horror comedy Horns where he played a young man who wakes up with literal horns on his head. In the 2016 independent film Swiss Army Man, he took the role of Manny, a corpse used by Paul Dano to help him survive and eventually escape an island. It was strange and different and is now a beloved film in many people’s top independent films. He played a man who wakes up with guns bolted to his hands in the 2020 film, Guns Akimbo and topped off this run of strange films by playing “Weird Al” Yankovich in the parody biopic Weird in 2022.

He has also chosen television shows that interest him. Some point to Miracle Workers as his best comedy role so far. In fact, the show, which has been running for three seasons with a fourth about to start, allows him to play different characters each season. The cast, which also features Steve Buscemi and Geraldine Viswanathan, remains the same while the locations and time period change each season.

Where Does Radcliffe Go From Here?

     Funny or Die

The fact is that the actor, now 33 years old, is at the top of his game. He is a hotter property than he was in his Potter phase. With the pick of projects, it is anyone’s guess what he will do next.

Radcliffe will be back on Broadway but will also continue to appear in one-off television shows as he has in The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and most recently Rick and Morty. There are, of course, people who want him in the MCU with a number of fan theories stating that his shorter stature is perfect for the role of the new Wolverine. This role, though a long shot, would find him taking the reins from Hugh Jackman and giving it a new take that would definitely surprise fans and doubters alike.

He will inevitably continue to take both mainstream and independent roles. With a healthy background in both drama and comedy, Radcliffe will continue to impress audiences whenever he turns up as a main character or even in cameo roles here and there. In fact, during a Q&A at Fantastic Fest, the producer of The Menu stated that the idea of Radcliffe playing himself had been floated around their team. The fact is that it would have fit perfectly with his career up to this point.

Radcliffe is ready to step up and try new things, unlike other actors who have placed themselves in a specific category. You won’t see Dwayne Johnson playing an 18th-century peasant anytime soon. However, nobody would bat an eye if Radcliffe showed up in a serious role as a washed-up gambler in a Daron Aronofsky film. His flexibility is not only accepted but it is also championed. He has very few detractors and has been described as a delight to work with. There are no visibly burnt bridges in his career and his potential for inventiveness may present itself in other ways going forward. Perhaps he may even try his hand at writing and directing projects that interest him in different ways.

Regardless of what he chooses to do, people will be watching. They will continue to be excited and interested when his name surfaces for different projects. Radcliffe is an easy-to-identify chameleon whose roles will continue to span the entire length and breadth of the entertainment community.