Daniel Radcliffe says 'Harry Potter' made him an alcoholic: 'The only way to deal with it was to get more drunk'
Daniel Radcliffe became a household name when he appeared as Harry Potter and ever since the movie franchise became blockbusters, there have been countless numbers of opportunities waiting for the actor. Even though one might assume Radcliffe to be happy after making billions from his role, the actor revealed that the pressure of fame and recognition from 'Harry Potter' made him take a decision that he otherwise wouldn't have.
Radcliffe confessed that due to the fame and recognition that he got, he became more aware of his surroundings. “I think badly at first," he said. "If I went out and if I got drunk I’d suddenly be aware of there being interest in that because it’s not just a drunk guy, it’s ‘Oh Harry Potter’s getting drunk in the bar'."
"That carries some kind of interest for people and also a slightly mocking interest. It’s inherently funny for people," he further stated, as reported by Metro. While drinking more alcohol may not be the best advice, Radcliffe felt that it was the only thing he could do at that time.
"The way of dealing with that is just to drink more or get more drunk, so I did a lot of that for a few years," he said. The situation became so bad that Radcliffe was confused if he was drinking as it was in his nature or because the circumstances forced him to turn towards alcohol for relief.
"A lot of drinking that happened towards the end of Potter and for a little bit, after it finished, it was panic a little bit, not knowing what to do next. Not being comfortable enough in who I was to remain sober," he said. Despite this, the actor confirmed that he has been sober since 2010.
He added that there are times when he is forced to be nice to the people because of the celebrity status that he gained for himself after appearing as Harry Potter. While he admitted that he loved being on the set and filming, he voiced out his concerns about young actors starring in a role for a long time and then losing their interests.