Daniel Radcliffe Talks Harry Potter, Child Fame and His Tony Awards Snub

The best preparation for the rest of Radcliffe's film career occurred on the set of Harry Potter.

"I love being on a film set. I know my way around it. Once you spend ten years on a film set like Potter, which is always chaotic and mad -- whenever I go off and do an independent film they always go, 'Oh, it's not like this on Potter.' It's worse! It's always mad, chaotic, crazy, wonderful. But there is very little that ever happens on any film set I could go on to now that I wouldn't know how to react to. That's why it's a place of real comfort to me."

Still, he feels like film is not his strongest performance medium.

"At the moment I think I'm better on stage than I am in film. I think on film -- I was talking to a friend about this today actually -- on film you have to go in and out a bit; whereas on stage you're just there for the whole two and a half hours. In a sense you're going in and out of character -- go back into the dressing room and play Words with Friends for two minutes..."

The crowd, apparently big Words with Friends fans, roared at this mention.

What Radcliffe really wants to do is direct.

"Films would be my first love I think, just because I grew up there. I would love to one day definitely get behind the camera and direct. I think that's maybe where I end up," he said to approval from the talkative crowd. "I'd certainly like to do something in that direction."

What would he direct? "It wouldn't be an epic fantasy," Radcliffe laughed. "I'd like to make small films, I think."

No pressure for future child stars, but Daniel Radcliffe has put them on notice.

"Here's the thing," Radcliffe said about the example he's setting in his transition from child star to adult actor, "if I can do it -- in the biggest film franchise of all-time in terms of grosses -- no one else has any excuses. I just want the next generation of child actors to not have to answer all those bloody questions in interviews, 'So, how long do you expect this to last?' Essentially, that is what we get asked. A lot. I have had that phrased that way. So I just want the next lot of kids who want to act not to have to deal with those questions."

If child stars do face those questions, however, it will be best if they don't find themselves plastered on gossip sites very often.

"There are people that would love -- the sad truth is that people love a train wreck. People talk all the time about young people -- particularly in Hollywood -- who get into trouble," Radcliffe said about the image problems some young stars face. "First of all, it's none of your business what they're going through. Second of all, you have no comprehension about what they're going through, so don't pass judgment on it."

Radcliffe knows that even he has potential to wind up in the celebrity barrel -- not that he'd ever let that happen. "I find all that stuff very distressing, but people are interested in it and people would love to see it from me. When I switch on the TV and watch a program I really don't like where there's people sitting around chatting and passing judgment on people... I don't ever want to be the person they're talking about. It's sad, but as soon as you are somebody in the public eye who is showing up a lot, you are theirs to debate on every level. I'm not comfortable with that."

[Photo: Getty Images]

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