Radcliffe declines to advise 12-year-old Harry Potter star

Daniel Radcliffe says 12-year-old Dominic McLaughlin needs no advice before taking the title role in HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” adaptation, according to the Associated Press. Radcliffe told the news agency that he may not watch the series, which it reported he was likely to sit out.

Will Radcliffe watch the new series?

Radcliffe said he did not know whether he would watch. He has watched and starred in a lot of “Harry Potter,” he told the Associated Press, and he does not watch television. “Breaking Bad,” “Mad Men” and some “real classics” remain unseen, he said. He also described eight hours as a lot of anything to watch.

His reluctance rests on two stated facts: extensive familiarity with the franchise and no regular television viewing, including shows he calls “real classics.”

For now, Radcliffe is unlikely to watch the adaptation.

What will Radcliffe say to McLaughlin?

The Associated Press reported that Radcliffe is sending McLaughlin good wishes. He will not offer the 12-year-old pointers on playing Harry.

“I’m really, truly in the business of not giving Dominic advice,” Radcliffe said. “He’s got it. He doesn’t need any advice from me.”

Radcliffe said he does not want his advice to follow McLaughlin into later interviews, where another journalist might ask him to repeat it. He said he did not want to haunt the child through interviews. Radcliffe predicted McLaughlin would be amazing and said he hopes to meet him someday and is very excited about the prospect.

His restraint reflects a simple rule: he will not turn private encouragement into public instruction that could overshadow McLaughlin’s own performance or shape his interviews.

His message to McLaughlin is support without instruction.

How did Radcliffe and McLaughlin connect?

The Associated Press reported that Radcliffe and McLaughlin have exchanged words at least once. Last year, Radcliffe wrote McLaughlin a letter, and the young actor replied with what Radcliffe called a very sweet note.

“I don’t want to be a specter in the life of these children but I just wanted to write to him to say, ‘I hope you have the best time, and an even better time than I did — I had a great time, but I hope you have an even better time,’” Radcliffe said on “Good Morning America.”

“I just see these pictures of him and the other kids and I just want to hug them. They just seem so young. I just look at them and say, ‘Oh, it’s crazy I was doing that at that age.’ But it’s also incredibly sweet and I hope they’re having a great time.”

The exchange shows a deliberate separation between encouragement and involvement, with Radcliffe offering warmth in private while declining to direct McLaughlin’s professional work in public.

The letter established contact without making Radcliffe an adviser.

What work follows Harry Potter?

The Associated Press described Radcliffe as one of the world’s most recognizable faces after he starred in eight widely popular Warner Bros. films from 2001 to 2011. Since then, he has appeared in several Broadway productions, films and television series, the Associated Press said.

His current screen credits include:

• NBC: Radcliffe appears in “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” opposite Tracy Morgan.
• Netflix: He is in the voice cast of the animated film “Steps,” which arrives Nov. 20.

His present screen work spans a live-action NBC series and an animated Netflix feature, giving him two current credits beyond the Harry Potter franchise that made him internationally recognizable.

“Steps” arrives on Netflix on Nov. 20, while Radcliffe’s decision to watch HBO’s upcoming adaptation remains open.