Daniel Radcliffe opens up about drinking heavily while filming Harry Potter to cope with fame

'The quickest way to forget about the fact that you’re being watched is to get very drunk'

Daniel Radcliffe has opened up about drinking accessive amounts of alcohol to cope with playing Harry Potter.

Speaking to Off Camera, the actor said there were times during his teenage years where he felt like he was being watched. And while admitting this may have been in his head, Radcliffe says he did not know how to deal with the issue at the time.

“In my case, the quickest way to forget about the fact that you’re being watched is to get very drunk,” the 29-year-old said.

“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.’”

He went on to defend other child stars who turn to extremes to cope with fame, saying there’s no blueprint for young celebrities to follow.

“That’s like when people have a go at Justin Bieber and drag racing cars,” he continued. “I’m like, yeah, but stuff could be super crazy for him right now.”

Radcliffe, who has been sober since 2010, said that he attempted to stop drinking multiple times, and eventually did so with the help of friends.

“Ultimately, it was my own decision,” he said. “Like I woke up one morning after a night going like, ‘This is probably not good.’”

“Even at the lowest point, I still loved my job so much,” the actor added. “I loved going to set, and there was never a day where 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.’”

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Radcliffe previously spoke about his drinking habits in 2012, revealing that – while he never drank on set – his habit was bad enough to affect filming Harry Potter.

“I can honestly say I never drank at work on Harry Potter,” he said. ”I went into work still drunk, but I never drank at work. I can point to many scenes where I’m just gone. Dead behind the eyes.”