Harry Potter and the Frank and Far-Reaching Discussion

Via Newsweek:

Daniel Radcliffe, the 17-year-old star of the “Harry Potter” movies sat down on the set of the fifth film, “Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix” with NEWSWEEK for a wide-ranging discussion on acting, fame, friendship, dating, and why he’s decided to make his stage debut—naked, no less—in the Tony-winning play, “Equus.” Radcliffe aced his final exams this summer, and just prior to this interview, had gone with his friends to Britain’s huge live music event, the Reading Festival, which features bands such as Blink 182, Linkin Park and Dirty Sanchez. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: When you go to places like the Reading Festival, do you have to worry about being recognized?
Daniel Radcliffe: It’s not so much being recognized. The only thing you have to worry about is press. But we pretty well got away with it. There was only one photo of me [that was published] with some headline about the hat I was wearing. [Laughs.] Yeah, some really important news. Groundbreaking stuff. So, no, people recognizing you is not really an issue. In fact, one of the best moments of the festival for me was on the first day: My friends and I walked out of this tent, and there was this guy passed out on the floor. He woke up, just momentarily, went, [in slurry, drunk voice] “It’s Harry Potter!” and collapsed again. [Laughs]

I’ve seen crowds go crazy over you, though. Girls screaming. What’s that like?
I don’t really experience it on a daily basis because I’m here most days, where everyone knows me. I suppose visitors to the set sometimes will be slightly awestruck, and that’s odd for me because I know myself, and I know there’s really nothing to be awestruck about. So the premieres are very odd because you get out of the car and there are hundreds of people screaming your name. To you, your name doesn’t really mean anything. It’s just a noun, like “table” or something, so when suddenly people are chanting it, it’s the strangest, strangest feeling. But it’s also incredibly gratifying because you work on a film for a year and suddenly all these people come out, basically, to thank you. So it’s great.

Do you date?
I do, yes, but not at the moment.

Do you have to worry that girls want to go out with you just because you’re famous?
It’s always a worry, yeah, but I’ve got pretty good instincts for people. Normally, the people who are not genuine are the ones who say, “You know I’m not just being your friend because you’re Harry Potter, right?” And it’s like, “Uh, fine, but if that’s the case, why do you need to say that?”

Full Q&A at the link above