It’s been a long time since Daniel Radcliffe was as ubiquitous in pop culture as he is right now. Like, we’re talking having your mom drive you to the Borders “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” midnight release party while blasting “Umbrella” on your Zune levels of time passing.
But thanks to the right confluence of events, the 36-year-old British Jewish actor is everywhere right now.
Coming on the heels of his Tony Award-winning performance in the revival of “Merrily We Roll Along” on Broadway, Dan is currently starring in the show “Every Brilliant Thing” on Broadway. He’s also just made his NBC sitcom debut as pretentious English filmmaker Arthur Tobin in “The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins.” It’s the perfect storm that has resulted in an avalanche of interviews and press appearances.
Dan has done the regular circuit of prestige talk shows and outlets, chatting with “The Late Show” and “TODAY,” Vanity Fair and the New York Times. But he’s also been game for all the social media content. He’s withstood spicy wings on “Hot Ones,” approved of Ariana Grande’s Hermione Granger impression for Betches, and proved himself a true New Yorker with New York Magazine’s NYQ.
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This is, of course, media strategy on the part of Dan’s shows’ PR teams and his own publicist. But the reason why it works, and why I personally can stand all of it and want even more, is because Daniel Radcliffe is so damn delightful. In fact, he’s a certified mensch.
During his many appearances, Dan has spoken lovingly of his son and how he mitigates his busy work schedule with being a present, engaged father. In discussing “Every Brilliant Thing,” which utilizes audience participation, he’s confirmed he’ll be “thoroughly asking consent” from theater-goers before bringing them up on stage. When he met Olympic gold medalist figure skater Alysa Liu backstage at “TODAY,” he genuinely fan-girled out. He went to support fellow “Harry Potter” actor Tom Felton, who is currently reprising his role as Draco Malfoy for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on Broadway. And when he spoke with the Wall Street Journal, Dan called himself “a fitness freak” — which doesn’t really speak to his character, but is still just so endearing.
It feels a bit like Daniel Radcliffe has spent the last decade in a case labeled “Break Glass in Case of Emergency” and, given the current circumstances of the world, someone smashed the glass to release his quirky, sunshine-y disposition. And you know what? It’s bringing some much-needed joy back into the world.
