Daniel Radcliffe’s illustrious career would undoubtedly not have been possible without Harry Potter. Radcliffe’s inimitable portrayal of the world-renowned character earned him global recognition, a multi-million-dollar net worth, and the opportunity to star in any film of his choosing.

After his time as ‘the boy who lived’ came to an end, Radcliffe dabbled in everything from out-of-the-way indie films, such as Guns Akimbo and Jungle to mega-hit productions, such as The Lost City and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

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While the Harry Potter role was instrumental in Radcliffe’s career, the star has not always had the best relationship with the beloved character. Radcliffe even briefly toyed with the idea of having Harry Potter killed off at one point. Here’s why Radcliffe was once convinced that Harry Potter would eventually be killed off.

Daniel Radcliffe Once Toyed With The Idea Of Having Harry Potter Killed Off

Daniel Radcliffe once believed that Harry Potter was likely to die at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; the final installment of the Harry Potter franchise.

“I think that's really the only way [J.K. Rowling] can end it, if Harry and Voldemort. Maybe one can only die if the other one dies,” he explained. "I don't know that for sure. But I'm quite looking forward to doing a death scene if I get that opportunity.”

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Radcliffe later backtracked on these statements in an interview with Daily Record. “I wish I'd never said that I hoped Harry would die," he said. "I have started to think his death might be too obvious.”

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Interestingly, controversial Harry Potter author J.K Rowling also contemplated killing off one of the famous trio (Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger) at one point.

“Funnily enough, I planned from the start none of them would die,” Rowling said. “Then, midway through [writing the series] — which I think was a reflection of the fact that I was not in a very happy place — I started thinking about polishing one of them off. Out of sheer spite!”

Daniel Radcliffe Nearly Quit Harry Potter

Daniel Radcliffe’s speculations about Harry Potter’s fate had nothing to do with his feelings about the character. However, it is a well-known fact that Radcliffe did not have the best time portraying the famous wizard kid. The overwhelming publicity brought about by the role had Radcliffe spiraling into alcoholism.

“In my case, the quickest way to forget about the fact that you’re being watched is to get very drunk,” Radcliffe told Off Camera in 2019. “And then as you get very drunk, you become aware that ‘Oh, people are watching more now because now I’m getting very drunk, so I should probably drink more to ignore that more.’”

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Experiencing such intense psychological turmoil while starring in one of the most successful films in the world must have been incredibly difficult for Radcliffe. As a result, the Escape from Pretoria star found himself contemplating cutting ties with the Harry Potter franchise at one point.

"By the third film, I thought, if there's a time to get out, it's now; there's still enough time for another actor to come in and establish himself,” he disclosed to The Guardian in 2013. “For a while, I thought, if I do all of them, will I be able to move on to other stuff, or should I start doing other stuff now? But in the end, I decided I was having way too much fun. And actually, there aren't many great parts out there for teenage boys, certainly not as good as Harry Potter."

Does Daniel Radcliffe Regret Portraying Harry Potter?

Despite his tumultuous relationship with the role, Daniel Radcliffe does not regret portraying Harry Potter in the slightest. “Even at the lowest point, I still loved my job so much,” he told Off Camera in 2019. “I loved going to set, and there was never a day when my own [feelings] would affect how I was on set, there was never a point where I was like, ‘Oh, I wish this hadn’t happened to me, I wish I wasn’t Harry Potter.’”

Radcliffe is also not intent on distancing himself from the role, despite devoting considerable effort to diversifying since Harry Potter closed its final chapter in 2009.

"I know that Potter is going to be with me for the rest of my life, so to try to set a goal where nobody talks about that anymore is stupid,” he told The Guardian. “It's just a fact of your life, so you can't get annoyed by it or resent it. You have to embrace the fact that you were involved in this incredibly cool thing that did wonders for the British film industry and though you might not always be happy with the work you did on it, the opportunity it has given you to forge a career for yourself is amazing."