Daniel Radcliffe Wants His Children to Avoid Fame 'At All Costs'

Daniel Radcliffe and Evan Rachel Wood wouldn't recommend becoming as famous as they did at such a young age.

The pair reflected on their own upbringings within the film industry while speaking to Newsweek about their upcoming comedy Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Radcliffe plays the famous polka-playing comedian in the parody biopic while Wood stars as the movie's "villain," Madonna.

Radcliffe started acting professionally at the age of ten before going on to international stardom when he was cast as Harry Potter. While he wouldn't recommend young actors take the same path to stardom as he did, there were some perks to his upbringing.

"I want my kids, if and when they exist...I would love them to be around film sets," he told Newsweek. "A dream would be for them to come onto a film set and be like 'God, you know, I'd love to be in the art department. I'd love to be something in the crew.' Some part of this, but not from that."

Wood also got an early start as an actor. With parents in the industry, Wood made her onscreen debut around the age of 7 in made-for-TV films before getting recurring roles in American Gothic and Profiler in the '90s. She then received her first Golden Globe Award nomination at the age of 13 for the movie Thirteen.

"And also I think we're saying this as people who have alright," Radcliffe continued, referring to himself and Wood sat beside him, "and we're still acting so clearly, we enjoyed it. But still, I wouldn't want fame for my kid."

"It's fame," Wood told Newsweek. "I think children acting is great because I think acting as an art form and as a form of expression, especially when you're young; it taught me so much about myself and others about empathy and connection and being present.

"But I don't think children should have 'careers.' That's where I would draw the line," she added.

Both Radcliffe and Wood achieved fame as a consequence of their successful early acting careers and were forced to grow up in the public eye.

Radcliffe has spoken in the past about becoming reliant on alcohol in his teens to cope with the fame Harry Potter brought him. He became sober in 2010 at 22 years old.

Wood was also the subject of column inches throughout her career with high-profile relationships with actor Jamie Bell and rocker Marilyn Manson making headlines. Wood was 18 years old when she entered a relationship with 37-year-old Manson and she has since made multiple allegations of abuse against him.

Manson sued Wood for defamation in March over the accusations, leading to a barrage of online hate aimed toward her—similar to the way in which Amber Heard was targeted during the Johnny Depp defamation trial.

It's fair to say both have experienced the highs and lows of fame, but despite that have also enjoyed successful careers in film, television and stage. Radcliffe insists there are still plenty of positives within the entertainment industry, as long as it isn't the be-all and end-all.

"I'd also say I love like, yeah I think if you can get a situation where you're on film sets without necessarily [thinking] oh, this is gonna be a big deal in your life, that's great." Radcliffe said "Film sets are wonderful places. I think a lot of the time it can be wonderful for kids. But it's really the fame side of it that should be avoided at all costs."

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will be available exclusively on The Roku Channel on Friday, November 4, 2022.

Newsweek will have more from Radcliffe and Wood in the build-up to the movie's release.