As Daniel Radcliffe took home his first Tony Award for the Broadway musical ‘Merrily We Roll Along’, the 34-year-old couldn’t stop being emotional. He won the award for ‘Featured Actor in a Musical’ for his portrayal of Charley Kringas in ‘Merrily We Roll Along’. Radcliffe, visibly moved, began his acceptance speech with a promise to speak quickly and avoid tears. “I’m going to talk fast and try not to cry,” he said, addressing the audience at the David H Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
As Radcliffe spoke, the camera cut to his co-star Jonathan Groff, who was also seen tearing up. Radcliffe expressed his gratitude, “Thank you so much to our cast, everybody on that stage. It is an honour to be on stage with you every single night and I will miss it so much.”
He also gave a shout-out to his co-stars Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, whom he will miss working with. “I don’t really have to act in this show, I just have to look at you and feel everything I want to feel. I will never have it this good again,” he added.
Celebrating the win on Father’s Day, Radcliffe paid tribute to his father and his parents, saying, “I love you both so much. Thank you for playing in the car and loving me.” He also expressed deep affection for his significant other, Erin Darke and their son, saying, “My love, Erin, you and our son are the best that has ever happened to me. I love you so much. Thank you so much.”
At 34, Radcliffe is still widely recognised for his iconic role as Harry Potter in all eight films of the series. However, he has made bold choices in his career, both onstage and onscreen, successfully transitioning from a child star to a respected adult actor. This Tony Award marks Radcliffe’s first win and nomination for his performance in a Broadway production, despite his consistent acclaim in previous roles.
Reflecting on his career, Radcliffe, who has struggled with shedding off his image as the bespectacled wizard from the Harry Potter series, shared backstage, “When I finished the ‘Harry Potter’ series, I had no idea what my career was going to be. I didn’t know what the future held. So, I played Weird Al (Al Yankovic) and also did ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ which were very different. I played Harry for a long time and it builds on you, so I am doing as many things as I possibly can.”