Actor Daniel Radcliffe blames the pressure of ‘being Harry Potter’ for turning him towards alcohol

The UK actor has explained what made him turn to booze as the movie franchise juggernaut took over his life.

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. Picture: Warner Brothers

British actor Daniel Radcliffe has sensationally blamed the role of Harry Potter for turning him into an alcoholic.

He told the BBC that his doubts and uncertainty about what to do with his life after the Harry Potter series was a major driver of his one-time drinking problem.

He’s been sober since 2013 after initially trying to swear off the booze in 2010.

Daniel Radcliffe. Picture: AP

Radcliffe said that playing the boy wizard “carried some kind of interest for people and also a slightly mocking interest”, adding: “It’s inherently funny for people.”

The actor said that “my way of dealing with that [was] just to drink more or get more drunk, so I did a lot of that for a few years”.

Daniel Radcliffe is seen on set, during the filming of 'Escape from Pretoria' in 2019.Pirie Street on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. (Morgan Sette/ The Advertiser)

“If I went out and if I got drunk, I’d suddenly be aware of there being interest in that because it’s not just a drunk guy. It’s ‘Oh, Harry Potter’s getting drunk in the bar.’

“A lot of drinking that happened towards the end of Potter and for a little bit after it finished, it was panic, a little bit not knowing what to do next – not being comfortable enough in who I was to remain sober.”

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. Picture: Supplied

He praised his family and friends on set for providing him with “enough perspective on my life” to help him through tough times.

The actor previously said that he attempted to stop drinking multiple times and eventually did so with the help of friends.

Daniel Radcliffe stars as Harry Potter and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Picture: Supplied

“Ultimately, it was my own decision,” he said. “Like I woke up one morning after a night going like, ‘This is probably not good.’”

Last week he was forced to deny he had coronavirus after becoming the subject of a widely spread Twitter hoax.