Daniel Radcliffe has spoken out about the joys of raising his son with his longtime girlfriend, Erin Darke.
Radcliffe, 33, opened up about becoming a father during a recent interview withE! News. His comments came days after he spoke about parenting for the first time, with the actor confirming that he welcomed a “little boy” with Darke in April.
Speaking to E! News, the Harry Potter star noted that while he’s enjoyed his time with his son so far, he’s also loved seeing his partner become a parent.
“It’s a crazy thing, but it’s also really beautiful, watching my girlfriend become a mum,” he said. [It’s] really the most incredible, beautiful thing to be witness to. So, it’s great.”
He poked fun at how grown-up his son is, as he joked that the baby is “fully talking at three-months-old”, and is “very advanced”.
The actor then clarified that his child has reached a different milestone, adding: “He’s smiling and that’s all I need. That’s awesome. Some people have to wait a lot longer for that so I’m really happy with that.”
During an interview withEntertainment Tonight on 3 July, Radcliffe first revealed that he and Darke were parents to a son, who they welcomed earlier this year. He also acknowledged that he’s been taking some time off from work to focus on his family
“It’s great. It’s crazy and intense,” he said about becoming a first time dad. But he’s wonderful and Erin is amazing - it’s a real privilege also to have this time with him. I was always going to take some time off, which not everyone is able to do, and so I’m able to kind of just be here with him a lot, which is lovely.”
The Kill Your Darlings star noted that as his child gets older, he will probably be more considerate about how many acting projects he takes on.
“It hasn’t really yet affected things, but I really like spending time with him, and I think I’m gonna miss him when I go back to work later in the year,” he said. “So, I will definitely be I think a bit more selective - not more selective, I’ve always been selective, but I think I’ll probably work a little bit less for the next few years.”
However, according to Radcliffe, he doesn’t plan to leave acting anytime soon. “I’ll never be stopping. I don’t think that’s good for me either,” he added.
In an interview with Newsweek, Radcliffe also opened up about starting a family while working in Hollywood. More specifically, he explained how his own experience with childhood stardom will influence how he parents his children one day.
“I want my kids, if and when they exist... I would love them to be around film sets,” he said. “A dream would be for them to come onto a film set and be like ‘God, you know, I’d love to be in the art department. I’d love to be something in the crew.’ Some part of this, but not from that.”
The Weird: The Al Yankovic Story star added that even though he enjoys acting himself, he “wouldn’t want fame for [his] kid”.
“I think if you can get a situation where you’re on film sets without necessarily [thinking] oh, this is gonna be a big deal in your life, that’s great,” he said. “Film sets are wonderful places. I think a lot of the time it can be wonderful for kids. But it’s really the fame side of it that should be avoided at all costs.”
While he recently opened up about fatherhood, Radcliffe has not yet revealed what the name of his new baby is. This doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise, since he and Darke, who’ve been dating since 2012, kept the news of their pregnancy relatively private.
