Daniel Radcliffe Admits to Drinking Problem During Last ‘Harry Potter’ Films

He may play the boy wizard Harry Potter onscreen, but offscreen actor Daniel Radcliffe had been battling his own inner demons as he filmed the last few Harry Potter films. According to People, Daniel revealed to GQ Magazine that his drinking became an issue on the set of 2009’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

“I became so reliant on [alcohol] to enjoy stuff,” Daniel reveals. “There were a few years there when I was just so enamored with the idea of living some sort of famous person’s lifestyle that really isn’t suited to me.”

He may have had a drinking problem, but he’s definitely trying to overcome it: he hasn’t touched a drop of alcohol since August 2010!

So how did he turn himself around? Shortly after shooting wrapped last summer for the final HP installment, Daniel decided to forgo the party and stayed in.

“There’s no shame in enjoying a quiet life. And that’s been the realization of the past few years for me,” he says. “As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time, that doesn’t work for me. I’d just rather sit at home and read, or go out to dinner with someone, or talk to someone I love, or talk to somebody that makes me laugh. I’m actually enjoying the fact that I can have a relationship with my girlfriend [Olive Uniacke] where I’m really pleasant and not f—— up totally all the time.”

Daniel currently stars in the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. His last Harry Potter film is set for release on July 15th.

Does this news about Daniel surprise you?