Daniel Radcliffe says Harry Potter 'panic' caused his drinking to spiral

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Last year, Emma Watson opened up about going into therapy after filming Harry Potter, revealing that she felt 'guilty' about being cast as Hermione Granger at just nine years old and detailing how she dealt with the overnight fame.

Daniel Radcliffe has also been open about his own battles since his wizarding world days, and has touched on his battle with alcohol while filming the successful movie series.

Talking on BBC Radio 4’s latest Desert Island Discs, the actor 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."'

He said that playing the role 'carried some kind of interest for people and also a slightly mocking interest... It’s inherently funny for people.'

Radcliffe added that '[his] way of dealing with that [was] just to drink more or get more drunk, so I did a lot of that for a few years.

'I definitely think a lot of the drinking that happened towards the end of Potter, and for a little bit after it finished, it was panic and not knowing what to do next, and not being comfortable enough in who I was to remain sober.'

The HP star decided to quit drinking in 2010, and said that although it felt 'weird' to give up alcohol so young he is 'very, very happy' about it.

'But I will always be fascinated and frustrated by the question of, "Is this something that would have happened anyway or was this to do with Potter?"'

Jadie Troy-Pryde
News Editor

Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.