Tony Award allows Daniel Radcliffe to finally move on from Harry Potter
Source: X/Spencer Althouse
Daniel Radcliffe has won his first Tony Award and the hearts of many for his epic hug with his award-winning co-star, Jonathan Groff.
At the 2024 Tony Awards, Radcliffe won best featured actor in a musical for Merrily We Roll Along.
The 34-year-old actor is best known for his role as Harry Potter, a character he has tried to distance himself from in adulthood and his role in the musical wasn’t the first time he has taken to the stage.
On Broadway, he has appeared in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and The Lifespan of a Fact.
He famously starred in Equus, while the Harry Potter movies were still being pumped out by Warner Bros.
Accepting his award, Radcliffe thanked his parents, his singing teacher, who he credits for being the only reason he sounds good on stage, and his partner Erin Darke and their son.
@cbs “Yer a Tony winner, Harry!” 🥹 #TonyAwards #danielradcliffe
When he was up on stage, his Merrily We Roll Along co-stars Lindsay Mendez and a visibly emotional Groff were seen in the crowd.
“Jonathan, Lindsay, I will miss you so much. I don’t really have to act in this show,” Radcliffe said.
“I just have to look at you and feel everything that I want to feel. I will never have it this good again.”
Groff also won an award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical.
As he was making his way to the stage to accept the award, Radcliffe came charging up to him to give him a hug.
“Jonathan Groff and Daniel Radcliffe are a bromance I didn’t know I needed,” someone remarked on social media.
@brutamerica Jonathan Groff won his first Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for “Merrily We Roll Along.” Before accepting the award, Daniel Radcliffe, Groff’s costar, ran up to hug him.
Where is the cast of Harry Potter now?
The final Harry Potter film was released in 2011 and since then, many of the young cast have enjoyed successful careers in and around the film industry.
Radcliffe has appeared in a number of films, often choosing more offbeat productions, opposed to blockbusters.
He did reunite with his Harry Potter cast members to mark 20 years since the first film’s release for a HBO special in 2022.
Radcliffe, along with Emma Watson and Rupert Grint rounded out the main three of the Potter series and the trio has gone on to be successful beyond the roles that dominated their childhoods.
Emma Watson
Watson starred in the film adaption of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring and was Belle in the live-action Beauty and the Beast.
She’s worked with the UN and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University and reportedly started a masters course at Oxford University in 2023.
She has taken a hiatus from acting.
Rupert Grint
Grint, famously bought an ice cream truck with his riches from the franchise.
He has been in a handful of movies and TV shows since Potter ended.
He’s also taken to stage and even served as an executive producer for the TV show Snatch, in which he was also the main character.
Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe were household names thanks to Harry Potter. Photo: Getty
Tom Felton
Felton was cast as Harry Potter’s nemesis, Draco Malfoy in the series and since then, he has appeared in a few TV shows and movies.
In 2022 he made his West End theatre debut and that same year he published his memoir, Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard.
Matthew Lewis
After playing the bumbling Neville Longbottom, Lewis’ post-Potter “glow-up” was largely celebrated online.
He’s done some acting work both onscreen and on stage since the series ended and served as the vice-president of the Leeds Rugby Foundation charity.
Evanna Lynch
Lynch made her Potter debut as Luna in the fifth instalment. She has continued acting and even done some voice acting work.
She has hosted a few podcasts and even launched a subscription beauty box that featured cruelty-free and vegan products.
Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch and Tom Felton have all remained tethered to the franchise. Photo: Getty
Bonnie Wright
After playing Grint’s on-screen sister, Ginny Weasley, Wright has been largely behind the camera, working as a director, writer and a producer on a handful of short films and music videos, in addition to acting.
She has done work for environmental organisations and published a book titled Go Gently: Actionable Steps to Nurture Yourself and the Planet in 2022.
Harry Melling
Like Lewis, Melling, who played Harry’s cousin, Dudley Dursley also had a physical transformation after the series.
Melling starred in the Netflix hit The Queen’s Gambit and two Coen brothers‘ films, including the Western The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.
Bonnie Wright went behind the camera, while Harry Melling found mainstream success. Photo: Getty
The other famous faces of Potter
Robert Pattinson went from playing Cedric Diggory in the Potter universe, to another cult franchise: Twilight, where he played vampire Edward Cullen.
He has since gone on to play Batman in The Batman.
James and Oliver Phelps, who played the Weasley twins have continued to star in films as twins.
Together, they had a podcast called Normal Not Normal and they interviewed a few of their Potter cast mates.
Sadly, since the franchise ended, a few of the cast members have died, including Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) and Richard Griffiths (Vernon Dursley).
