He was a boy wizard and then he started looking hot. Which left you feeling weird and confused, right? It's all ok. Mr Radcliffe has come an awfully long way from Hogwarts.
We're all in agreement at Marie Claire HQ that it's totally acceptable to be crushing on Mr Radcliffe right now - and it's not just because we've discovered he's worth £64million, thanks to heat magazine's 30 richest stars under 30 list. Honest.
1. Harry Potter was a LONG time ago.
Seriously, he was ten when it started and now he’s 25. He’s made some cool film choices since the franchise ended in 2011 – 2013’s beat generation biopic Kill Your Darlings, this year’s hipster comedy, What If and soon-to-be-released horror Horns – and wisely measures success very differently these days. 'A film being successful isn't necessarily a guarantee of it being any good,' he told Marie Claire. 'There are a lot of successful films that are terrible. It's more important to me at this point to be improving as an actor. I don't think I'll ever be totally satisfied, there is always something to improve on. I am only 25; there is a lot more for me to learn and do.'
2. Er, did you SEE him in What If?
Was it just us, or did he totally surpass all expectations as the romantic lead opposite Zoe Kazan? The on-screen chemistry, that naked lake scene, the whole indie boy thing… It just worked. Although it was still fun teasing him about people's perceptions in our recent interview. 'Can you tell me why people are so surprised? Is there something inherently unromantic about me?’ he cried. ‘You saw me grow up like a fucking boy in a school robe. Of course there is a sexier side to me than that!'
3. He’s quite the gentleman
Since meeting American actress Erin Darke on the set of Kill Your Darlings, Daniel has divided his time between the UK and New York. And when he’s not with her, it sounds like he pulls out all the stops. ‘I was going to fly to NY to surprise her once but then I kind of ruined my own surprise the night before because I was on the phone to her and she’d had a terrible day and was in a bad mood and I wanted to make it all go away so I just went, “guess what? I'm going to be there tomorrow; we're going to see each other”.’ Bless.
4. He’s SO New York, these days
'What I love is that you don't have to be from New York to be a New Yorker,' he explains. 'It's the place where people who don't fit into any other place all end up and fit in beautifully together. I feel like California is where all the super cool kids at school ended up, and all the geeky kids who I think are super cool, all ended up in NY.'
5. He’s not afraid to stand up to the haters
'I have a finely tuned bullshit censor for when people are around me for the wrong reason,' he says. 'I am polite but I also don't take shit. I've been brought up to stand up for myself. If someone is being a dick, then it's very easy for me to call that out.’ Such as? 'I was in a bar in Canada and this strange guy of Indian-Canadian descent was walking around in a floor-length Willy Wonka style coat, affecting a British accent. He shouts, "Hey, Mr Radcliffe, please say hello to this beautiful lady!' and introduces me to this attractive woman who is inexplicably with him. Thirty seconds later he does the same thing with a different girl and I realised he was pretending to know me, and bringing over women as a way of introducing them to him! I was just like, "bugger off, mate.".' Here, here.
6. He doesn’t try to be cool – he just is
'I've never been cool because cool has (in this country) a kind of aloof aspect to it and that's not something I’m into,' he says. 'I'm not going to apologise for how much I love something or how excited I am. I don't really give a fuck about pretending to be disinterested; it is such a boring way to be. And in terms of women, I can't imagine just standing there, looking cool, and pretending that I am not engaged in the person I am talking to.’
7. THESE sick rapping skillz
Horns is in cinemas from 29 October
