Daniel Radcliffe reflects on the first six months of fatherhood

‘I’ve kind of really enjoyed the first six months,’ actor says

Daniel Radcliffe reflected on six months of fatherhood after welcoming a son with his partner Erin Darke.

The Merrily We Roll Along actor made an appearance on Today with Hoda & Jenna, updating Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on his fatherhood journey.

“A lot’s changed since you were last here. You’re a dad,” Kotb said to Radcliffe. The Harry Potter star replied with a smile, “Yeah.”

Bush Hager asked, “Congratulations! How’s fatherhood?”

“It’s awesome. I think I’ve been, really, I think a lot of people said, ‘Just get through the first six months after then after that it gets better.’ But I’ve kind of really enjoyed the first six months,” Radcliffe admitted. When asked if it has been everything he’s imagined, the actor responded, “I don’t know what I imagined, honestly. But it’s great. He’s incredible and I’m just in awe of my partner.”

At the premiere of Merrily We Roll Along on 8 October, the Broadway star opened up about being a first-time parent to E! News, saying: “He’s great, it’s amazing. There’s a short answer and a long answer to that. And the short answer is it’s awesome and he’s the best thing that’s ever happened.”

“It’s frankly terrifying to have a human being in the world that I care this much about,” he added. “And that everything he does is going to affect how I feel about my life for the rest of my life. So, you know, that’s intimidating.”

While he doesn’t consider himself a parenting expert, Radcliffe said that he’s gained a lot of insight so far, particularly on his infant’s sleeping patterns.

“There’s no relation to what we need for sleep. The less I sleep, the more I sleep at night,” he said. “But the less they sleep, the less they sleep! And the more they sleep, the better they sleep! It makes no sense, but it is apparently how they work.”

With many sleepless nights caring for his son under his belt, the actor has found himself understanding the merits of forgiveness. “The fact that there is a creature in the world that can give you the worst night of your life,” the actor explained. “And then you wake up in the morning and go over to them and they turn around and smile and you’re like: ‘I don’t care about any of the things you just did.’ That’s pretty cool.”

“It’s been a really wonderful year,” the Harry Potter alum concluded. “And I couldn’t wish to be in a better place.”

The actor met his partner of a decade while on the set of 2013’s Kill Your Darlings, in which they played each other's love interests. Although the couple have remained private, over the years, they have supported each other’s work, including Darke recently making an appearance on the red carpet for the 2022 TIFF premiere of Radcliffe’s film Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. They have not shared their son’s name.

In March 2022, Radcliffe told People, “I’ve got a really nice life. I’ve been with my girlfriend for a decade pretty much. We’re really happy.”