Daniel Radcliffe says playing Weird Al Yankovic was ‘liberating’ | Celebrities

Daniel Radcliffe found playing Jankovic in Weird Al a “liberating” experience.

The 33-year-old actor stars as a singer in the new biopic The Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, but Daniel didn’t feel too stressed about the role.

Daniel, who is best known for playing Harry Potter in the money-making film, told the Backstage podcast: “There was something very liberating for us about how different the people we play are from their real-life counterparts.

“You know, if I walked off the set and it was a ‘Serious Al’ biopic, I’m sure I’d look at Al every time and think, ‘Oh, is he happy with this?’ Like, “Is that moment we recreated any good?”

“But, you know, when I’m walking around the table and playing a jukebox, it definitely gives you a lot of license to say, ‘We’re just doing something crazy and different.’

“If someone called me crazy, I’d be thrilled.”

Daniel recalls that there was a “very festive” atmosphere on set. The actor also loved the speed of the shoot, describing it as an “amazing” experience.

He explained: “It was the fastest shoot I’ve ever done. It was amazing – it was so well-prepared that you felt like you had enough time for everything and everyone came super prepared.

“Everybody came in as well and realized very quickly, “Oh, we’re getting two, maybe three takes of everything. And it just is what it is, and you can’t be too precious about it.”

“The atmosphere on set was just… it felt very festive the whole time. There was no one on the set who was indifferent to Al’s work.”