At school, Dan enjoys science, P.E and art (although he claims that he can't draw), but, in his free time, he enjoys running, gymnastics, football, listening to music, playing on his Playstation, watching films and reading (which he has done a lot more of since re-reading the Harry Potter books). He is a supporter of Fulham Football Club, and Formula One Racing. His favourite movie is What's Eating Gilbert Grape and his favourite books are Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Holes by Louis Sachor. His favourite TV programmes are WWF ( especially The Rock) and The Simpsons. He doesn't play an instrument, and claims that he can't sing, but says that he would like to play the drums!

When he grows up, he either wants to be an actor, or work with children with autism.

His favourite actors and actresses include: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tim Robbins, Ben Stiller, Antony Hopkins, Tom Hanks, Ed Harris, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Cameron Diaz, Renee Zellweger and Kate Hudson.

He says that he has one very important thing in common with Harry - he would really like a pet owl! He'd like to be friends with Harry in real life because of his curiosity, loyalty, and because he's serious, but can be funny too. His favourite Harry Potter characters are Hagrid and the Weasley Family. Oh yeah, and he'd like an invisibility cloak so that he can sneak into places that he's not supposed to be in!

David Copperfield and The Tailor of Panama

Dan in David Copperfield

He had already starred in the 1999 BBC adaptation of David Copperfield as the young David Copperfield. Dan's mum sent off a polaroid to the BBC because he had always wanted to be an actor from the age of 5. 

His parents never thought it was a good idea to let him do David Copperfield, but, after 4 months and 6 auditions, Daniel had the part. His parents only let him star in David Copperfield because it was being produced by a family friend, Kate Harwood. Potter partners Maggie Smith and Zoe Wannamaker also starred.

Dan in The Tailor of Panama

The director, Chris Columbus, had asked Daniel to audition, but he was doing The Tailor of Panama at the time and couldn't go.

By complete coincidence, he then met the producer, David Heyman, (who was with Steve Kloves, the scriptwriter), at the theatre one night and was introduced to him during the interval.

Marcia Gresham, Daniel's mother, then got a phone call from David Heyman asking to meet p with Daniel, but not for an audition. Shortly afterwards, David Heyman asked Daniel to audition.

Daniel Radcliffe and Dan with the director, Chris Columbus

At the audition, Daniel had to read through one of the scenes with Hagrid and then Chris Columbus asked him to improvise about that scene. He felt nervous, but not pressurised as he didn't expect to get the part. He came out of his first audition thinking that he'd messed up but, as time told, it didn't appear that he had!

His audition for the Harry Potter films was almost like magic itself. The film's director Chris Columbus says: 'Dan walked into the room and we all knew we had found Harry.'

Daniel Radcliffe says that the auditions were good because they didn't have two children auditioning for the same part there at the same time (we wouldn't want any arguments now, would we?). Daniel auditioned with a boy auditioning for the part of Dean Thomas, another trying out for the part of Neville Longbottom and, with Devon Murray, who played Seamus Finnegan in the movie.

Daniel Radcliffe auditioned for the role of Harry Potter during July last year. He was in the bath when the phone rang. His Dad answered it and a few minutes later went upstairs and told him he had got the part. He asked Dan to guess who was going to play the part of Harry Potter and he said the name of another actor, and the "Somebody else?"

Chosen among some 16,000 boys who auditioned for the role, Daniel Radcliffe was Harry Potter!

Lots of boys sent in applications by mail...!

The news he'd been waiting for!!!

After receiving the news that Daniel Radcliffe was going to play Harry Potter they all cried. The first people he phoned after he discovered were both his grannies! He had no idea that the news would be as big as it was and was surprised when the press turned up outside his house 20 minutes after the big announcement in London. He woke up at 2.30 the next morning and had to wake his Dad up to check that it wasn't all a dream!

Sleepness night...

He never even got the chance to tell his friends-they all called him up immediately after they saw it on the news. They all offered their congratulations and they all reacted well to the news, none of them were at all jealous. He was also mentioned in his school assembly for only the third time ever! The only other mentionings he'd had were for scoring a hat-trick for the football team, and another, which was bad!

He says that he has no ideas or theories of why he got the part, none at all!

Daniel missed all but the first two weeks of the 2000/2001 school year as he was in nearly every scene in the movie, but he still keeps in touch with his school friends by inviting them to be visitors to the set. He saw more of his friends than he normally did when he was filming because he got to see them every weekend! He did get a few people he didn't really know from his school e-mailing him like they were best friends which he found a bit strange! He got to go home every night after filming.

Harry's Family and Friends

He found his first day on the film set very nerve racking because he was used to rehearsing with about 10 other people, rather than filming in front of over 150 cast and crew members (including extras).

He also had to have special training to play Harry because he did most of his own stunts. Most of this was gymnastics training, coached by David Holmes, which he really enjoyed. His favourite stunt was in the Quidditch match when he was hanging one-handed from his broomstick, 22ft in the air with a huge airbag underneath him and the crew moving the broom around!

Daniel Radcliffe enjoyed filming the movie and playing the part of Harry Potter ( one of his favourite part of filming was flying on the broomstick!).

Another of his favourite scene to film was the climax at the end when he was in the chamber with Professor Quirrel. He said that this was intense but not a difficult scene for the crew to film, although he found it his hardest scene because it was the emotional centre of the movie, and he had to put in the right emotions. He also enjoyed the Chess and the Devils Snare scenes.

He knows it's bad; but his favourite word from the movie was Voldemort!

Harry Discussing his finances!

Dan on Comic relief, BBC 2000

Dan was also on Comic Relief, 2000. Stephen Fry, (who read the Harry Potter Audio Books) asked Dan :

"I see no scar, are you really the one who defeated the Dark One?"

Dan replied:

"Yes, but I've left it in the dressing room!"

Awards

Since appearing in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, Dan has received many awards relating to his performance in the film.

He was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble in a Feature Film which was shared with Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Tom Felton, and, along with Alan Rickman (Snape) he received a Variety Club Award.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is his favourite of the four published Harry Potter books because of the dark storyline with the basilisk and the lighter storylines such as Ginny Weasley, Dobby the house elf, Professor Lockhart and Colin Creevy.

Hugh Mitchell as Colin Creevy and Kenneth Braugh as Lockhart

Dan says that he would like to do all of the Harry Potter movies, but that he probably won't because he thinks he'll change so much physically that he won't look like Harry any more.

The scene in the second film which he is looking forward to the most is the scene where he kills the Basilisk!

Harry and the Basilisk's skin

Dan says that, so far, his favourite part of the second film is when Harry and Ron (Rupert Grint) 'borrowed' Mr Weasley's (Mark Williams) Ford Anglia to get them to Hogwarts. He says that it was great being behind the wheel of a car despite being only 12. He says he enjoyed it because being in the car made him and Rupert feel mature. He says it was like they were really driving the car and was very cool!

He also enjoyed filming the Quidditch sequences, when he takes on Malfoy (Tom Felton), astride his new Nimbus 2001. Dan says that although Tom is on a faster broomstick, he still prefers his!

A Play What I Wrote

Over Christmas 2002/2003, Dan stared in his second theatre show, ever, and the pantomime, which took place at Wydhams' Theatre in London was a far cry from being a dancing monkey, although he still pranced around in some pretty daft costumes!