Daniel Radcliffe weighed in on the big Harry Potter ranking debate, and he’s not afraid to go against the grain.
The 36-year-old actor, who played the boy wizard in all eight films from 2001 to 2011, appeared on Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz and was challenged to rank the franchise he knows better than almost anyone.
He admitted upfront that he hadn’t watched the films in some time and that his relationship with his own performances evolved over time.
“When I was 18, I cringed watching the earlier films. Now I think the first films were nice and now I cringe watching myself when I was 18 or 19,” he said.
“But I suspect those dates will continue to change based on what I find acceptable in my own work.”
Regarding the first payments, he gave the advantage to Chamber of Secrets on Sorcerer’s Stonesolely through the strength of a single creature.
“I would take Chamber of Secrets both because I love basil,” he explained.
His most striking appeal came when comparing Goblet of Fire with the beloved Prisoner of Azkabanwhich many fans and critics consider to be the artistic high point of the series.
Radcliffe took the opposite route.
“I know everyone wants me to say Azkaban. I know that’s how everyone feels, but I love what I got to do in the fourth movie; it was great. Then I’ll say Goblet of Fire.”
At the top of his personal ranking is Deathly Hallows Part 2, the emotional series finale, a choice that seems fitting given the weight of what this film represented for everyone involved.
Down?
Half-Blood Prince. And he was quick to take responsibility for this verdict. “Half-Blood Prince is probably the low end of the range for me. And it’s my own business. It’s not the movie.”
