Daniel Radcliffe says fatherhood is ‘best thing that’s ever happened’

The Harry Potter star welcomed a baby boy with long-time girlfriend Erin Drake in April

First-time father Daniel Radcliffe has given an update on the progress of his three-month-old son.

The 33-year-old Harry Potter star welcomed a “little boy” with his long-time girlfriend Erin Darke in April.

Radcliffe and Darke, 38, who are famously private, first started dating after playing opposite one another as love interests in the 2013 film Kill Your Darlings.

In a new interview published by Extra, recorded before the American actors’ union SAG-AFTRA strike, Radcliffe said that the birth of his son and experiencing fatherhood for the first time has been the “best thing that’s ever happened”.

“He’s very cute,” Radcliffe said of the newborn, whose name has not been publicly announced. "We’ve moved into a less screaming phase and he’s now giving us little smiles and giggling."

"It’s been a crazy few months, as anyone who’s been through parenthood would attest," Radcliffe continued. "But it’s also the literal best thing that’s ever happened, so it’s great. I feel very lucky to be able to have this time with him. It’s awesome.”

Until the child’s birth, Radcliffe and Darke kept the news of their pregnancy relatively private.

They confirmed the pregnancy news in March after the couple was spotted together in New York, with Darke’s baby bump visible beneath a black zip-up sweatshirt. Representatives of the actor then confirmed the birth in April.

Darke and Radcliffe in September 2022 (Getty Images)

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight published earlier this month, Radcliffe spoke about taking time off from his career to be with his family.

“I was always going to take some time off, which not everyone is able to do, and so I’m able to kind of just be here with him a lot, which is lovely,” the actor said of his infant son.

He added that he aims to be “selective” about future projects and is planning to reduce how many projects he takes on.

Last year, Radcliffe explained in an interview with Newsweek that his own experience as a child actor has influenced how he would raise a child.

“I want my kids, if and when they exist... I would love them to be around film sets,” he said. “A dream would be for them to come onto a film set and be like ‘God, you know, I’d love to be in the art department. I’d love to be something in the crew.’ Some part of this, but not from that.”

The Weird: The Al Yankovic Story star said he “clearly” still enjoys acting, but “wouldn’t want fame for my kid”.

“I think if you can get a situation where you’re on film sets without necessarily [thinking] oh, this is gonna be a big deal in your life, that’s great,” he said.

“Film sets are wonderful places. I think a lot of the time it can be wonderful for kids. But it’s really the fame side of it that should be avoided at all costs.”