At the age of 11, Harry Potter received his Hogwarts letter in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” Coincidentally, Daniel Radcliffe, who was cast as Harry, was also 11 when he took on the role. Radcliffe, having started his acting career early, gained recognition for his performance in a 1999 “David Copperfield” miniseries, which caught the eye of Chris Columbus, the director of “Sorcerer’s Stone.”

Columbus quickly chose Radcliffe for the lead role. However, Radcliffe wasn’t the youngest on set. Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermione Granger, was only 10 years old, and Rupert Grint, playing Ron Weasley, was 12. The trio spent much of their childhood working on the “Harry Potter” films. It took 10 years to complete the series, with Radcliffe being 21 during the emotional final day of filming the conclusion of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2.”

Many famous actors started young, but Radcliffe’s fame as a child actor was extraordinary. The “Harry Potter” series became a global phenomenon, dramatically altering Radcliffe’s life. Years after the series concluded, Radcliffe reflects on growing up in the spotlight and offers significant advice to those creating the “Harry Potter” reboot series.

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was released in 2001, and suddenly Daniel Radcliffe was a world-famous 12-year-old. Radcliffe had millions of adoring fans around the globe, although he didn’t necessarily feel that way at the time. 

In an interview with Sunday Today, Radcliffe said that he knew “Harry Potter” was a sensation, but he didn’t really see all that excitement and fame in his everyday life. “Which I think in a way is great. You wouldn’t want a kid to feel the sort of the weight and the sense of expectation of all of that,” he said. Radcliffe also explained that he and his costars were often so busy filming “Harry Potter” that they didn’t have much time to experience how big the franchise was becoming.

Looking back, Radcliffe can clearly see just how different his childhood was from most people’s, but he doesn’t go out of his way to revisit that time. Radcliffe told Jonathan Ross in 2021 that he avoids watching his performances in the “Harry Potter” movies at all costs. After seeing each film at its premiere, Radcliffe has never watched them again. “It’s like passing around baby photos of yourself,” Radcliffe said, “It’s not an enjoyable experience.” Radcliffe’s “baby photos” have been seen by millions, so it’s easy to understand why he doesn’t look at them any more than he has to.

HBO’s “Harry Potter” reboot is underway, and naturally Potterheads want to know what the original cast has to say about the new series. Back in 2024 the show hadn’t found its new cast yet, but Daniel Radcliffe was already being asked if he had any advice for the actors who would eventually step into his shoes. Radcliffe told Entertainment Tonight that his real advice was for the adults in the project and how they should handle working with the young cast. “Just like, let them be kids still,” Radcliffe said, adding, “I can’t imagine what it would have been like to do that in the age of social media. We were kind of a little bit before that.”

Now that HBO’s “Harry Potter” series has found its cast, Radcliffe’s advice carries even more weight. In the new show, Harry will be played by 11-year-old Scottish actor Dominic McLaughlin. He’ll be joined by Arabella Stanton as Hermione and Alastair Stout as Ron. Like Radcliffe when he was young, McLaughlin already has years of performance experience, but “Harry Potter” will be his biggest role yet by far. HBO has yet to announce a release date for the new series, but on June 21, 2025, J.K. Rowling — who serves as an executive producer on the show — stated on social media that she’d read and loved the scripts for the first two episodes.