ACTOR Daniel Radcliffe may quit playing Harry Potter, he revealed yesterday.
Daniel, 16, who has been the boy wizard since he was 11, is considering other projects.
So far he has filmed four of the movies - the latest, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, is out on November 18. JK Rowling has written six books.
Asked what he will do when the role comes to an end, Daniel replied: "We've got a while before the films end.
"I'm not absolutely confident that I'm doing them all. I'm definitely doing the fifth, but after that who knows?"
He is off to Australia next month to shoot December Boys, only his second non Harry Potter big screen movie.
Set in the 1960s, it stars Daniel as one of four orphan friends who go on a seaside holiday then hear a rumour a family wants to adopt one of them.
He said he was "excited" about doing new roles.
Daniel is said to have bought a house in Melbourne so his family can stay while he is working.
Daniel, and co-stars Rupert Grint (Ronald Weasley) and Emma Watson (Hermione Granger) were in London yesterday plugging the new Potter movie.
He told a press conference: "It's been an odd five years but it's been great."
The Goblet of Fire sees Harry falling for fellow pupil Cho Chang, played by Katie Leung, and one of the book's characters dying.
Daniel, who turned 16 in July, added: "It makes it easier to play Harry because I've been going through all the hormone stuff so it's fresh in my mind."
And like many other teenage boys he dreams of having a Hollywood beauty on his arm. Natalie Portman or Scarlett Johansson would be his ideal date to the Hogwarts Yuletide Ball.
Daniel's tastes have radically changed since he took on the Potter role in 2000.
Then he was into the World Wrestling Federation but is now more interested in novels by Emile Zola. The highlight of his year was going to the Reading rock music festival.
He also feels he can now chip in his opinion about scenes while he's filming. He said: "We have grown up. We're older now so it's good for us to think we're not just child actors any more, we can make our own decisions - in collaboration with Mike Newell (the director), of course. It's not just a case of going up to him and saying we don't like that."
He added: "Some people find it hard to believe we can live normal lives. Some people think we're not telling the truth and that we're liars but we can go out. Sometimes I have to wear a hat. For me, I only feel famous for two days a year and that's at the premiere."
He doesn't wear the trademark glasses when he's out although he says Harry has made specs "cool".
He added: "JK Rowling has stood up for anyone called 'four eyes' or teased about wearing glasses, she's made it a good thing." Co-star Emma revealed she shuns fame and queued like everyone else to get her copy of the newest book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
But Daniel said he could not do that or he "might have been signing books for the next six hours".
Emma, 15, like Daniel, has great ambitions.
She said: "One of the amazing things that has come out of this is that I have so many options. There are so many fantastic scripts. I'd like to do something different, maybe something smaller."
But she's still got Hermione in her blood. She said: "I'm so close to her I feel that I don't have to act any more. It seems like I'm barely doing anything sometimes.
"She turned into someone that a lot of people can identify with, she's a great role model."
Emma defended the decision to make the Goblet of Fire a 12A certificate because it's scary.
Emma said: "To some extent our audience are growing up with the films. We might have lost some of the much younger audience but I'm in it and I got scared.
"It's much more of a thriller than before and faithful to the book. You can't get away from the fact that someone dies in it."
Ah, after each movie they say "who knows, maybe I won't do the one after this one" but so far they're pretty much obligated. Nobody wants to be He Who Ruined The Harry Potter Movie Series
sometimes I'm just here to amuse myself
"I'm for it so we can put Nuclear power plants up there, and then beam the power back to earth on a laser beam." ~ Whidden
Well, we will see, but heck... by the time that they go to film the sixth, and seventh ones, those kids are going to be way too old. Well, possibly. What do I know anyway.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
Production on the 5th film starts in a few months. I never expected them to do more than three. I think the final two should be direct-to-video. Bad enough they are all going to be type cast, that is if they can find more work after this.
I think they could find work. They're still quite young. But perhaps they wont want to... they're kind of rich enough already, right?
Kris, a lot of people have been saying they'll be too old, but I don't think that's true. I mean, 20+ year olds have been playing teenagers forever in American movies... The right make up and a shave, I think they'll be fine for the part, even a few years from now
"I'm for it so we can put Nuclear power plants up there, and then beam the power back to earth on a laser beam." ~ Whidden
10-27-2005 08:33 AM
What do I know anyway.
