Daniel Radcliffe finds something he once thought impossible

Daniel Radcliffe said he has finally reached a place of “profound happiness”, a reality his younger self would never have recognized.

Speaking after a performance of his Broadway play Every Brilliant Thing on Tuesday, Radcliffe opened up to Project Healthy Minds about the peace he has found after years of struggle.

“There have been times in my life when I have been deeply unhappy, particularly when I was much younger,” the 36-year-old actor admitted.

But today, he says, life looks very different.

Fatherhood, he explained, has brought him immense joy.

“I spent today with my 3-year-old son walking along the street, with him just holding my hand and being gorgeous and fun and silly — and I’m so happy. If you showed [current photos] to me when I was 20, I would not have recognized myself.”

Radcliffe’s journey has been marked by challenges.

Catapulted to fame at age 11 as Harry Potter, he has spoken openly about depression and alcohol use.

In a 2019 interview, he recalled waking up one morning and realizing, “This is probably not good.”

That decision to get sober, he said, was about stripping away pretenses and asking, “What makes you happy?”

Even at his lowest, Radcliffe emphasized, he never regretted his role.

“There was never a day where my own s**t would affect how I was on set. There was never a point where… I wish[ed] I wasn’t Harry Potter.”

In recent years, Radcliffe has celebrated both personal and professional milestones.

His 2024 Tony Award acceptance speech for Merrily We Roll Along credited longtime partner Erin Darke and their son as “the best things to ever happen” to him.

And now, with Every Brilliant Thing, Radcliffe said he’s performing the “most profound, meaningful show” of his career.

The interactive one-person play invites audiences to reflect on hope, depression, and suicide.

Radcliffe noted, “The chance to connect with people about [mental health] is really rare. As a performer in this show, you get such an amazing view of how brilliant and kind people can be.”

For Radcliffe, the message is clear, “There is such potential for profound happiness, even if someone isn’t experiencing it at the moment. It’s always worth giving the future a chance to prove you wrong.”

He stars in Every Brilliant Thing until May 24, when Mariska Hargitay will take over the role.