One of World's Biggest Child Stars 'Haunted and Petrified' by Prospect of His Son Trying to Following in His Showbiz Footsteps

OK! can reveal Daniel Radcliffe has admitted he hopes his young son never follows him into acting, with the former Harry Potter star saying the realities of childhood fame make the prospect deeply unsettling.

Radcliffe, 36, who became one of the most recognizable child actors in the world after starring in the Harry Potter film series between 2001 and 2011, said the entertainment industry can be difficult for young performers.

Speaking as a father of a 2-year-old son he shares with longtime partner Erin Darke, the actor reflected on growing up in the spotlight and explained why he would prefer his child avoid the pressures of fame.

He said: "I honestly wouldn't want my son to act or to become famous. The thing for me that was the biggest difference-maker was I loved being on set."

Radcliffe was just 11 years old when filming began on the first Harry Potter movie, a role that would define his childhood and propel him to global fame for a decade. Across eight films, he played the young wizard Harry Potter alongside Rupert Grint, who portrayed Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger.

Looking back on the trio's unusual upbringing in the public eye, Radcliffe said their experience has often been framed as proof that child stardom can work out well.

He added: "People often talk about me, Rupert and Emma and the Harry Potter kids in general as being a good example of, 'See, it can all be fine,' and yes it can be, but we all worked really hard on ourselves to make it fine."

Radcliffe suggested several factors helped shield the cast from some of the darker sides of fame as a child star.

A consistent production team and supportive families, he said, created a sense of stability during the intense years of filming.

He added: "I'm also so aware of how tricky it can be – I think it's very different growing up on a Harry Potter set in the U.K. The (same) crew was mostly there for 10 years, so we were surrounded by a group of people that really cared about us. I was also really lucky with my parents. They had the right balance of being like, 'This is all really special and really cool, but also there's some stuff about this that is really weird.'"

Radcliffe and Darke, who live in New York City, have largely kept their family life private since welcoming their son in 2023, and a source told us he is "haunted and petrified" by the prospect his son may try and follow in his showbiz footsteps.

The actor has previously spoken about how parenthood has changed his perspective on protecting children from public scrutiny.

He said in a recent interview becoming a father made him understand "every instinct every parent has of home-schooling and moving to the woods," highlighting how protective he feels about his child growing up away from the spotlight.

Despite his hesitation about a future acting career for his son, Radcliffe has also spoken about how he hopes the child might one day discover the wizarding world through a new adaptation rather than the original films.

A television version of Harry Potter is currently in development at HBO, featuring a new cast retelling the story for television audiences.

Radcliffe has suggested it would be "ideal" if his son encountered the franchise through the series rather than the movies in which he starred, explaining that he has rarely revisited his own performances.

He told ScreenRant recently he had only watched himself in the films "once or twice" and would prefer his child see the new series so he "doesn't have to watch" him.

Radcliffe has also urged audiences to allow the next generation of actors to approach the story on their own terms without constant comparisons to the original cast.

Away from acting, the performer revealed he is increasingly interested in working behind the camera.

He said: "That's the thing I would love to do in the next five, 10 years."Radcliffe added: "I've written a script that I would love to make purely because I've always said I would like the first thing I make to be something I write, so that if I s---- it up, I'm only s---wing up my own material."