Daniel Radcliffe has opened up about the insecurities he faced while filming the Harry Potter franchise during his late teens.
While appearing on First We Feast’s Hot Ones, the actor reflected on how being in what he described as the “most self-conscious phase” of his life affected his performances at the time.
Radcliffe admitted he struggled with how he looked on camera and tried to compensate by limiting his facial expressions.
He said, “You’re in the most self-conscious phase of your life and I hated my face and it doing anything so I thought if I go stoic and don’t really move my face, nothing can go wrong.”
The actor went on to explain that this instinct ultimately worked against him, as self-consciousness can hinder an actor’s ability to fully commit to a role.
“And that came out of self-consciousness, and self-consciousness is the enemy of acting, in any shape or form.”
“When I was doing my first musical, on Broadway, I learned very quickly that actually any natural weirdness I have, from my face or expression or physicality, you’ve got to lean into it.”
He remarked before conclusion, “That’s a big lesson.”
