Despite being one of the most prominent child actors in history, Daniel Radcliffe has successfully transitioned to adulthood without the struggles many of his fellow actors face.
In today’s world, maintaining one’s sanity can be challenging, especially with the influence of social media leading us into deep dives of our specialized interests.
During a recent discussion with Rolling Stone, Radcliffe disclosed a key factor that helped him remain grounded after leaving the Harry Potter series. Surprisingly, it is a straightforward practice.
The Escape from Pretoria star admitted he ‘literally never’ engages with social media platforms, as he observes their impact on others and prefers to protect his mental well-being. “I’m not on Instagram. I’m not on any of the Twitter versions that exist. I don’t know how anyone does it,” he explained.
Refraining from social media has reinforced the Tony Award-winning actor’s belief that his choice was a wise one.
He told Rolling Stone: “Honestly, it seems so stressful. I’m stressed enough. I don’t think that would do wonders for my mental health.”
He provided these candid thoughts amidst his performances in the Broadway solo show, Every Brilliant Thing, portraying a character who lists reasons to live for his suicidal mother.
Radcliffe recounted an incident before the show’s New York premiere on March 12 at the Hudson Theatre, which further confirmed his resolve to avoid platforms like X, Instagram, and Facebook.
During rehearsal, he overheard a conversation that seemed foreign to him: “I was just in our rehearsal room, and everyone was having a conversation about bricks or apps that keep them off their phone.”
However, the absence from this aspect of modern life does affect Radcliffe, who became a father with his partner Erin Darke two years ago.
Radcliffe commented: “I’m sure this is going to be the thing that, when my son is older (will) make him think of me as unspeakably old and decrepit. But yeah, I can’t do it.”
He clarified that he isn’t completely disconnected from the internet but avoids engaging in the intense discussions prevalent on social media.
Appearing on Hot Ones, he elaborated on why he remains off social media: “I would love to say there’s some sort of intellectual, well-thought-out reason for this because I considered getting a Twitter.”
“And I 100 per cent know that if I did, you all would be waking up to stories like, ‘Dan Radcliffe gets into fight with random person on Twitter’.”
Given Radcliffe’s fame and likely encounters with online negativity, his reluctance to engage publicly is understandable. He confessed: “When I was younger, not anymore thank God, I would like to look up comments about myself on the internet and read s*** like that.”
Choosing a healthier path, Radcliffe decided to avoid such interactions, adding: “That is an insane and bad thing to do. And to me, like Twitter and everything, it just sort of feels like an extension of that.
“Unless I’m going to go on to just read all nice things about myself, which also feels like another kind of unhealthy thing to do.”