Daniel Radcliffehas enjoyed a varied, quirky, and incredibly successful career since hanging up his wand and glasses after finally defeating Lord Voldermort inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. His most recent movie,Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, opened torave reviews, with critics being particularly impressed by Radcliffe’s performance as the eccentric parody hero.
RELATED:The ‘Harry Potter’ Movies Ranked By Their Rotten Tomatoes Score
Radcliffe has delivered many other memorable performances in the post-Potter days, including playing a flatulent corpse, a man with devil horns growing out of his head, and a man with guns surgically attached to his hands.
‘The Woman in Black’ (2012)
Moving from one literary adaptationto another, Radcliffe left Hogwarts and traveled to the Edwardian Era to star in the hit horror film,The Woman in Black. Radcliffe played Arthur Kipps, a young solicitor dealing with the loss of his wife who must travel to a remote village that is plagued by a vengeful ghost.
Radcliffe excels in his first and only venture into the horror genre. His genuine terror and manic energy pass over to the audience, creating a truly terrifying experience.
‘Escape From Pretoria’ (2020)
Escape From Pretoriais an interesting mash-up of genres. The film, which is based on a real-life prison break, acts as a drama, a biopic, and a thriller. Daniel Radcliffe looks and sounds the part, growing his hair out longer and boasting a flawless South African accent to truly embodyTim Jenkin.
RELATED:The 10 Best Daniel Radcliffe Films That Aren’t ‘Harry Potter’
Radcliffe’s performance as the freedom fighter is passionate, subdued, and, during the escape sequence, nail-bitingly tense. It’s perfect for audiences who want to be kept on the edge of their seats.
‘Jungle’ (2017)
Jungleis a harrowing story of survival, made all the more memorable by Radcliffe’s one-man journey of pain. The former child star really put himself through the wringer with this performance. He pushed himself to his physical limits, shooting scenes that had him fighting the current in rapids, covered in insects, and even sinking in quicksand.
Jungle is an incredibly gripping survival thriller, which makes the audience feel as if they’re trapped in the jungle, too, with Radcliffe being the vessel that transports them there. This one definitely isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you may stomach it, it’s well worth the watch.
‘Horns’ (2013)
After playing good-willed, heroic Harry Potter for so long, it was a delight to finally see Daniel Radcliffe play a questionable, slightly evil character like Ig Perrish in the criminally underratedHorns.Hornsfollows Ig, who, in the wake of his girlfriend’s violent death, grows a pair of horns that have the ability to make people confess their sins.
RELATED:Every Daniel Radcliffe Movie After Harry Potter, Ranked (So Far)
Radcliffe’s performance begins sweetly, declaring his love for his girlfriend before taking a delightfully sharp turn. He becomes forceful, demanding, brutal and sinister in his hunt for the truth, marking the actor’s decision to move away from heroic characters.
‘The Lost City’ (2022)
The Lost Citywas clearly atremendous amount of fun to shoot, and that joy carries over into the actors' performances. Daniel Radcliffe seemingly loves every minute he’s on-screen as Abigail Fairfax, the villain who forces Loretta Sage to accompany him in his hunt for the lost city. Seeing Radcliffe play a straight villain was everything we could have hoped for. Abigail is spoiled, demanding, and ridiculously petty.
Abigail is not a villain who will get his hands dirty. He has a group of goons for that. Instead, he is the sort of character who will happily sit back and watch before arriving at the last minute to claim credit for everything. His performance is hilarious and despicable, and it’s a joy to watch the character finally get his comeuppance.
‘Kill Your Darlings’ (2013)
Kill Your Darlingsis a filmrenowned for the performances of its stars, Daniel Radcliffe andDane DeHaan. The two, who playAllen GinsbergandLucien Carr, respectively, have heaps of natural chemistry, making each scene they share an absolute delight. After an unexpected murder, however, Allen begins to doubt everything he knew about his friend, and it’s at this point that Radcliffe really shines.
RELATED:7 Performances In The ‘Harry Potter’ Series That Left Us Scratching Our Heads
His understated performance transforms into one of paranoia and suspicion as he battles between trusting his head or his heart. This is a must-watch, both for the excellently crafted plot and the powerhouse performances.
‘What If’ (2013)
What Ifproved there’s no genre that Radcliffe can’t excel in. The first and so far only, rom-com on his resume is an absolute treat, featuring hilarious scenarios, incredible chemistry, and a truly moving script. Radcliffe is exceptional as the love-struck Wallace, a young man too afraid to tell his new friend Chantry that he loves her.
What Ifallows Radcliffe the chance to be truly hilarious, whether he’s bickering with his best friend Allan or accidentally knocking Chantry’s boyfriend out of a window. He also captures the emotion required for a rom-com, delivering a performance that had audiences laughing and crying.
‘Guns Akimbo’ (2019)
Guns Akimbois the most bonkers action film of the last decade, and that’s a huge compliment. Radcliffe plays Miles, who, after a night of online trolling, wakes up with guns surgically attached to his hand. As expected, there’s a tremendous amount of carnage in the action spectacle, but the film is at its best in the smaller moments, like when Miles has to somehow have a wee with guns attached to his hands, for example.
RELATED:The 10 Best and Most Iconic Harry Potter Spells
Radcliffe gives a frantic performance. Desperately trying to survive despite the fact that he has no combat experience or desire to fight. His attempts to explain his situation to others are hysterical, and he deserves a massive amount of credit for eating that disgusting hot dog off the floor. Trust us; this is a film that deserves to be seen again and again.
‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ (2022)
Daniel Radcliffe may not bear a huge physical resemblance to parody-sensationWeird Al Yankovic, but he embodies him perfectly in the brilliantly reviewedWeird: The Al Yankovic Story. The film may be a parody of music biopics, but it is played perfectly straight. Radcliffe’s performance only gets better as the film progresses, from him recording his first single in a public bathroom to falling in love withMadonnato finally facing off againstPablo Escobar.
Every joke seemingly lands, especially those told when both Weird Al and Madonna are on-screen. Radcliffe brings a sense of determination and dedication to the legendary character, too, keeping the serious scenes dramatic before becoming as silly as the slapstick scenes require. If you’re a fan of Weird Al Yankovic or even just a fan of laughter, we implore you to check this movie out.
‘Swiss Army Man’ (2016)
It may be hard to believe that Radcliffe’s performance as a farting corpse is the best of his career, but that only speaks to the brilliance ofSwiss Army Manand the subtle excellence of his performance. Radcliffe plays Manny, a speaking corpse who becomes friends with Hank after they find themselves washed up on a desert island. It turns out that Manny is the perfect tool to help Hank escape, able to chop wood, surf along the water and even provide clean drinking water.
Radcliffe’s performance grows into something truly outstanding as his character begins to learn what it means to be human. He learns what it’s like to feel love, how there’s beauty in even the smallest moments and the power of friendship. Swiss Army Man is a truly beautiful film and Radcliffe’s performance is equally beautiful. Watch this movie, we implore you.
NEXT:Daniel Radcliffe Wants to Direct Movie Based on His Experience in Hollywood
