![Daniel RadcliffeModeof Language –NMEinterview
Since graduatingfromHogwarts,the decidedly unstarryDaniel Radcliffe hasplayeddevils,confused
poetsand,now,Frankenstein’shunchbackedsidekick.OllyRichardsmeetsBritain’soddestfilmstar.
Fame teachesyoumanythings:howto outrunpaparazzi,how to respondto mobsof fans,how to
endure a breakfastTV interviewwithoutscreaming.Itdoesnot,apparently,prepare youforthe
complexitiesof makingcoffee.Bouncingintoahuge wood-panelledconference roomabove the
photographystudiowhere he’sjustbeenshotforNME’scover, Daniel Radcliffe ispresentedwitha
cup and reachesforthe sweeteners.“How manyof these are yousupposedtouse?”he asks, merrily
clickinglittle white pelletsintohisdrink.Eachof those isone sugar,we tell him.You’ve justgiven
yourself sevensugars.“Oh,right,”he laughs. “Well,we’ll leave thatthen.”
You half-expectDanielRadcliffetohave anentourage of people todispensehissweetenersforhim.
He isstupidlyfamous. PlayingHarryPotter,he ledone of the biggestfilmseriesinhistorytotake
over£5billionatthe worldbox office.He isworth,accordingto the SundayTimesRichList,around
£69million.He shouldbe swaggeringaroundinfurs,eatingswansand doingdrugsoff antique
mirrors.But Radcliffe’sthe antithesisof all that.He isnot like othermovie stars.We don’tmeanthat
inthe usual clichédway,aswhena celebrityprofiledeclaresitssubject“downtoearth”because
theyate carbohydratesandweren’tparadedinona throne. Daniel Radcliffe isodd.Goododd.He is
Britain’sweirdestfilmstarandwe love himforit.
Considerthe evidence:Since Potterended,hisroleshave includedahauntedlawyer(The WomanIn
Black),a man turningintoa devil (Horns),asingingcorporate climber(How ToSucceedInBusiness
WithoutReallyTrying,onstage),asexuallyconfusedbeatpoet(Kill YourDarlings) andadoctorwho
has imaginaryconversationswithhisolderself (The YoungDoctor’sNotebook). Thenthere’shis
latestrole inVictorFrankenstein,hisfirststudiomovie sincePotter.He playsIgor,the otherworldly,
hunchbackedassistantinanimaginedoriginstorythatdetailsthe peculiarearlyexperimentsof
youngFrankenstein(playedbyJames McAvoy).These are the careerchoicesof a burgeoningindie
actor, not a man so famoushe hashis ownLegorange andhas been parodiedonThe Simpsons.
“No,I don’treallyhave mainstreamtastes,”he says. “Peopledoaskme,‘Whydo youchoose such
weirdmovies?’butIdon’tthinkthey’re weird,they’re juststoriesI’minterestedin.Isn’thaving
weirdtastesgood,though?Ithinkso.I thinkthat’sbetterthan alwayswantingtoplaythe handsome
hero.You thinkI’mweird?I’ll take that.”
Radcliffe ishandsome butinquite anormal way – he has whatyour mummightcall “a nice face” –
whichmeanshe’snotobviousleadingmanmaterial,andataround 5’5”, he’sa bit small tobe an
actionstar (thoughthat neverstoppedTomCruise). Today,dressedall inblackandwithhishair
sharplycropped as a souvenirfromarecentlycompletedrole inImperium, playinganFBIagent
posingas a neo-Nazi,he shouldlookintimidating. Yethe’ssoeffusivelycheerfulthathe justlooks…
tidy.He’s26 now,but clean-shaven, he couldpassformuchyounger. He’sgota characteractor’s
face,whichmeanshe can do those strange leadrolesyourmore traditional leadingmancouldn’t.
“I had a huge amountto prove [afterPotter],” continuesRadcliffe. “Provingthatyoucan be a young
actor and not be a complete fuckingdisasterwhenyougrow up.That isthe – quite unfairIthink –
image that people have of youngactors.There are a huge numberof childactors whogrow up fine.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/danielradcliffemodeoflanguage-160318143343/85/Daniel-radcliffe-mode-of-language-1-320.jpg)
![seriesended,because itfeelssolongago.He can’t escape it,but he doesn’twantto.Which isgood
because the Potteruniverse hasstartedexpandingagain.
We meetonthe daythat the firstimageswere revealedof FantasticBeastsAndWhere ToFind
Them,the 1920s-set Potterspin-off thatstarsEddie Redmayne asa magical explorerwhocollects
bizarre creatures.Radcliffehasn’tseenthe picturesandjumpsupto lookat themon myphone,
clockingRedmayne’sswishyceruleancoatandbarking,“Ohfuckyou,Eddie,inyour brilliant
costume…I got jeansand a zip topfor 10 yearsand you’ve gota greatcoat already?”
JK Rowlingisnotjustexpandingintothe Potteruniverse’spast,butalsoitsfuture.Nextyearwill see
the West Endopeningof the playHarry PotterAnd The CursedChild,nota sequel toPotter buta
continuationof Harry’sstory,focusingonhisyoungestson,Albus,whoisstrugglingwithall that
comeswiththe Pottername.Harry is now unhappilyemployedatthe Ministryof Magic (basicallya
wizardcivil servant).
What’s itlike knowingsomeone else isgoingtoplayHarry?“It’s weird,”he says.“But I’mhappyfor
it to go onwithoutme.I’ve noownershipof it.” Wouldhe goand see it? “Now that I know [Harry’s
init] I actuallyreallywanttosee it.It wouldbe a mental thingtotry and see itwithlotsof very
excitedHarryPotterfans.But I kindof would like toknow whathappensnow.”
He goesall wistful foraminute. “I’dalwaysthoughtinthe yearsafterPotterfinishedthatitwould
die down,butit’sjustgrownmore because the people whoweremassiveHarryPotterfansintheir
teensare nowadults.So youmeetthemmore.They’re notat home withtheirparents,they’reout
inthe world.Italwaysamazesme whensomeone sayswhatahuge part of theirchildhooditwas.I
still have anatural reserve thatmakesme go,‘Ohdon’t be so silly,Iwasn’tresponsible foryour
childhood.’ButIthinkaboutthe stuff that meansa lotfor me from mychildhood,like The Simpsons,
and how,whenIdida voice onThe SimpsonsIgot a signedthingfromMatt Groeningandthat was
so fuckingexciting.The thoughtthatI mightoccupythat space in somebodyelse’schildhood…”
Maybe it’snotthe roleshe’stakensince Potterthatmake himunusual.Maybe it’snot evenhis
bizarre affinityforgranddadTV shows. Maybe the thingthat makesDaniel Radcliffe Britain’soddest
filmstaris that he hasn’teverquite realisedthathe’safilmstar at all.It doesn’tseemtohave sunk
inthat he’sDaniel bloodyRadcliffe.
KEY –
Quotations in RED
Descriptionof Radcliffe and what’s happeningduring the interviewBLUE
Interviewer’spersonal views,judgementsandopinionsGREEN
Underlinedfourbitsof language whichI have found effective/interesting](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/danielradcliffemodeoflanguage-160318143343/85/Daniel-radcliffe-mode-of-language-3-320.jpg)
Daniel radcliffe mode of language
- 1. Daniel RadcliffeModeof Language –NMEinterview Since graduatingfromHogwarts,the decidedly unstarryDaniel Radcliffe hasplayeddevils,confused poetsand,now,Frankenstein’shunchbackedsidekick.OllyRichardsmeetsBritain’soddestfilmstar. Fame teachesyoumanythings:howto outrunpaparazzi,how to respondto mobsof fans,how to endure a breakfastTV interviewwithoutscreaming.Itdoesnot,apparently,prepare youforthe complexitiesof makingcoffee.Bouncingintoahuge wood-panelledconference roomabove the photographystudiowhere he’sjustbeenshotforNME’scover, Daniel Radcliffe ispresentedwitha cup and reachesforthe sweeteners.“How manyof these are yousupposedtouse?”he asks, merrily clickinglittle white pelletsintohisdrink.Eachof those isone sugar,we tell him.You’ve justgiven yourself sevensugars.“Oh,right,”he laughs. “Well,we’ll leave thatthen.” You half-expectDanielRadcliffetohave anentourage of people todispensehissweetenersforhim. He isstupidlyfamous. PlayingHarryPotter,he ledone of the biggestfilmseriesinhistorytotake over£5billionatthe worldbox office.He isworth,accordingto the SundayTimesRichList,around £69million.He shouldbe swaggeringaroundinfurs,eatingswansand doingdrugsoff antique mirrors.But Radcliffe’sthe antithesisof all that.He isnot like othermovie stars.We don’tmeanthat inthe usual clichédway,aswhena celebrityprofiledeclaresitssubject“downtoearth”because theyate carbohydratesandweren’tparadedinona throne. Daniel Radcliffe isodd.Goododd.He is Britain’sweirdestfilmstarandwe love himforit. Considerthe evidence:Since Potterended,hisroleshave includedahauntedlawyer(The WomanIn Black),a man turningintoa devil (Horns),asingingcorporate climber(How ToSucceedInBusiness WithoutReallyTrying,onstage),asexuallyconfusedbeatpoet(Kill YourDarlings) andadoctorwho has imaginaryconversationswithhisolderself (The YoungDoctor’sNotebook). Thenthere’shis latestrole inVictorFrankenstein,hisfirststudiomovie sincePotter.He playsIgor,the otherworldly, hunchbackedassistantinanimaginedoriginstorythatdetailsthe peculiarearlyexperimentsof youngFrankenstein(playedbyJames McAvoy).These are the careerchoicesof a burgeoningindie actor, not a man so famoushe hashis ownLegorange andhas been parodiedonThe Simpsons. “No,I don’treallyhave mainstreamtastes,”he says. “Peopledoaskme,‘Whydo youchoose such weirdmovies?’butIdon’tthinkthey’re weird,they’re juststoriesI’minterestedin.Isn’thaving weirdtastesgood,though?Ithinkso.I thinkthat’sbetterthan alwayswantingtoplaythe handsome hero.You thinkI’mweird?I’ll take that.” Radcliffe ishandsome butinquite anormal way – he has whatyour mummightcall “a nice face” – whichmeanshe’snotobviousleadingmanmaterial,andataround 5’5”, he’sa bit small tobe an actionstar (thoughthat neverstoppedTomCruise). Today,dressedall inblackandwithhishair sharplycropped as a souvenirfromarecentlycompletedrole inImperium, playinganFBIagent posingas a neo-Nazi,he shouldlookintimidating. Yethe’ssoeffusivelycheerfulthathe justlooks… tidy.He’s26 now,but clean-shaven, he couldpassformuchyounger. He’sgota characteractor’s face,whichmeanshe can do those strange leadrolesyourmore traditional leadingmancouldn’t. “I had a huge amountto prove [afterPotter],” continuesRadcliffe. “Provingthatyoucan be a young actor and not be a complete fuckingdisasterwhenyougrow up.That isthe – quite unfairIthink – image that people have of youngactors.There are a huge numberof childactors whogrow up fine.
- 2. Alwayswithmycareerinfilm,Isaw Potteras an amazingbeginningtoit.I’msure I’ll neverhitthat kindof commercial peakagainbutvery,veryfew people will.” He doesn’t,however,agree thatcomingbackto studiofilmsisasignhe’sreadyto accept being‘a bigdeal’again.“No,althoughthat’sa nice theory,”he smiles.“There’snosignificance toit.Doing studiomoviesisfunbecause yougettodo stuff thatyou mostlywouldn’tgettodoon an indie movie,intermsof action.There isa part of me that, because Igrew up doingit,lovesthatstuff and reallymissesit.Frankensteinwasjustthe mostinterestingandoriginal scriptI’dseenfromastudio. It lookedlike funtomake,anditwas.” It is,as rollickingblockbustersgo,smarterthanmost,playingwithideasof science vsreligion,heart vs mind,while alsofindingroomfora fightwitha zombie monkey.“Itdoesn’ttake itself too seriously,butithasa nice intellectual debateatthe heartof it,”saysRadcliffe. For someone whohaslivedwithpressintrusionsince the age of 11, Radcliffe isanopeninterviewee. What was he intoas a kid?“The Simpsons…butIwas alsoobsessedwithYes,Minister.” The 1980s sitcomthat wasmade before youwere born?“Yes!” He puts hishandson the arms of hischair, as he doeswheneverhe’sabouttolaunchintoa subjectthat reallyexciteshim. “Iusedtowatch that everynightbefore IwenttobedwhenIwas about15. I still thinkit’sone of the bestBritishsitcoms ever…Andone of myfavourite filmsisA MatterOf Life AndDeath,withDavidNiven… He hasto go to court inHeaven.It’ssweetandfunnybutso weird.”These are the kindof referencesyou’dexpect fromsomeone twice Radcliffe’sage. He shrugs. “Ilike thingsthatdo whateverthe fucktheywantat all times.” Radcliffe’sfranknessextendstodiscussingmore personalmatters,whichinthe pasthave included losinghisvirginitytoanolderwomanandproblemswithalcohol,longsince givenup.Mostrecently, inan interviewwithPlayboy,there wasthe surprising admissionof masturbatingduring the productionof Harry Potter… “What?” he says,confused,butnotangry.“I didn’tsayI wankedonset!” He getsout hisphone tofindthe interview,whichdoesn’ttake longasthere are many,manyGoogle hits.“Oh God,”he says,floppingbackinhisseat. “It’sfrustratingwhenyoutell astoryand say, ‘Yes, I wankeda lotwhenIwas a teenager,’butclearlyIdidn’tmeanonset.” He straightensupinhisseat. “Can youmake this clearfor me:I wasnot wankingduringthe filmingof Potter– I managedto restrainmyself until Igothome.” Considerthe matterclosed.Let’swashourhandsof it,so to speak. Radcliffe wearshisfame lightly,rememberingakeyincidentfromthe heightof Pottermania.“Iwas at ReadingFestival andIwasstandingbehindaguywho’dbeenonrealityTV.He wasreally,really hatedand I sawthe shithe tookfrom that crowd.Stuff chuckedat him, people swearingathim…I was 16 and wasall,‘Ohman I can’t go anywhere.’ThenIhadthat momentof realisationthat,holy sh*t, I am reallyluckytobe famousforsomethingthatpeople reallylike.There are farworse things to be famousfor,and thisis somethingthatstill seemstobe genuinelyimportanttosomanypeople ina reallysweetway.” If Radcliffe isfedupwithdiscussingPotter,andhe haseveryreasonto be,he doesn’tshow it.In fact, he bringsup the subject,talkingabouthow strange itisthat it’sonlyfouryearssince the film
- 3. seriesended,because itfeelssolongago.He can’t escape it,but he doesn’twantto.Which isgood because the Potteruniverse hasstartedexpandingagain. We meetonthe daythat the firstimageswere revealedof FantasticBeastsAndWhere ToFind Them,the 1920s-set Potterspin-off thatstarsEddie Redmayne asa magical explorerwhocollects bizarre creatures.Radcliffehasn’tseenthe picturesandjumpsupto lookat themon myphone, clockingRedmayne’sswishyceruleancoatandbarking,“Ohfuckyou,Eddie,inyour brilliant costume…I got jeansand a zip topfor 10 yearsand you’ve gota greatcoat already?” JK Rowlingisnotjustexpandingintothe Potteruniverse’spast,butalsoitsfuture.Nextyearwill see the West Endopeningof the playHarry PotterAnd The CursedChild,nota sequel toPotter buta continuationof Harry’sstory,focusingonhisyoungestson,Albus,whoisstrugglingwithall that comeswiththe Pottername.Harry is now unhappilyemployedatthe Ministryof Magic (basicallya wizardcivil servant). What’s itlike knowingsomeone else isgoingtoplayHarry?“It’s weird,”he says.“But I’mhappyfor it to go onwithoutme.I’ve noownershipof it.” Wouldhe goand see it? “Now that I know [Harry’s init] I actuallyreallywanttosee it.It wouldbe a mental thingtotry and see itwithlotsof very excitedHarryPotterfans.But I kindof would like toknow whathappensnow.” He goesall wistful foraminute. “I’dalwaysthoughtinthe yearsafterPotterfinishedthatitwould die down,butit’sjustgrownmore because the people whoweremassiveHarryPotterfansintheir teensare nowadults.So youmeetthemmore.They’re notat home withtheirparents,they’reout inthe world.Italwaysamazesme whensomeone sayswhatahuge part of theirchildhooditwas.I still have anatural reserve thatmakesme go,‘Ohdon’t be so silly,Iwasn’tresponsible foryour childhood.’ButIthinkaboutthe stuff that meansa lotfor me from mychildhood,like The Simpsons, and how,whenIdida voice onThe SimpsonsIgot a signedthingfromMatt Groeningandthat was so fuckingexciting.The thoughtthatI mightoccupythat space in somebodyelse’schildhood…” Maybe it’snotthe roleshe’stakensince Potterthatmake himunusual.Maybe it’snot evenhis bizarre affinityforgranddadTV shows. Maybe the thingthat makesDaniel Radcliffe Britain’soddest filmstaris that he hasn’teverquite realisedthathe’safilmstar at all.It doesn’tseemtohave sunk inthat he’sDaniel bloodyRadcliffe. KEY – Quotations in RED Descriptionof Radcliffe and what’s happeningduring the interviewBLUE Interviewer’spersonal views,judgementsandopinionsGREEN Underlinedfourbitsof language whichI have found effective/interesting
- 4. The Conclusion I believethe conclusionisveryeffective insummingupDaniel Radcliffe.Itusesthe interviewers opinionstoshowDaniel Radcliffespersonality,the wordbloodyiseffective asitgivesitasort of humourfactor since mostof the article isveryformal,thenthere’scolloquial languagethrownintoit whichpeople wouldn’texpect.