BWW Interviews: Daniel Radcliffe Talks THE WOMAN IN BLACK

This past Thursday Toronto was abuzz with excitement as stage and screen star Daniel Radcliffe arrived in the city for the very first time to promote his upcoming film, The Woman in Black.  The show has been on a hit on London’s West End for the past 23 years (making it the 2^nd longest running play in West End history) and fans of both Radcliffe and Hammer Productions came out in droves to get a first glimpse at the remaking of the classic tale.

Thanks to Alliance Canada, BWW was able to give some lucky readers passes to see the Toronto premiere and the black carpet event attended by Mr. Radcliffe.  We were also on hand to speak to Mr. Radcliffe about The Woman in Black, Hammer Productions, whether he plans to return to the stage and if there really is a brotherhood of man:

Why did you choose this film for your first post-Potter release?

I never really expected to do horror, that is to say, it’s not something that I gravitated towards.  But it was the story that grabbed me.  Many things can help you choose a project, it could be the director or the part or the company, and all these were a part of the decision. But with The Woman in Black, it was first and foremost the story that appealed to me.  It’s genuinely scary and I wanted to be a part of that. The main goal of this film is to freak people out.  But it’s also a wonderful tale about what happens if we don’t move on from our losses.

Were you a fan of the Hammer films growing up? What’s it like to get to be part of one now?

Absolutely and totally! I loved them growing up and it’s very cool to be a part of one.  The film industry runs on nepotism in the best possible way – it’s a family trade.  Amanda Knight did my make-up on the Potter films and she worked on many of the Hammer productions back in the day, so it was a great opportunity.  Growing up I loved Dracula.  I was such a fan of Peter Cushing in that.  All my friends wanted to be Christopher Lee and I wanted to be Peter Cushing.

When choosing your first post-Potter role, were you making a conscious decision to try and pick something that was a huge departure from Harry?

Not really.  You want to make a good choice and do a good film but you can’t be constantly thinking “is this different enough” because you would shut yourself off to a lot of good parts.  This is different enough for me in the sense that I feel like I’m stretching myself as an actor, and that’s what’s important.

In terms of your work on the stage, what’s more fun? Musical or Drama?

A musical is a hell of a lot of fun.  It’s a lot of hard work but to be able to go out every night with your mission being to entertain people is really a great gift.

Finally, is there really a brotherhood of man?

Well, that’s not my song anymore! It belongs to Nick Jonas now.  I would love to return to the stage though, but I need a bit of a break.  I’ve only just stopped and it’s a lot of hard work.  That said, I can’t wait to get back.

Photo Coverage of Daniel Radcliffe at The Woman in Black "black carpet" event can be seen here