When Daniel Radcliffe stated his name and age in his audition video for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Sorcerer’s Stone in the U.S.), he never could have foreseen the monumental impact that one audition would have on the rest of his life’s work in the entertainment industry.
Like his co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, Radcliffe’s baby fat has completely melted away, but should you desire to have your heart melted, you can always return back to the first Potter movie to watch the actor age right before your very eyes. This begs the question, of course, of how old Daniel Radcliffe was in each movie.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: 11 years old
Harry, erm, we mean Daniel, was just a wee lad when Sorcerer’s Stone began filming on September 29, 2000. Having just turned 11 years old two months prior, he surely related to Harry’s very magical birthday. By the time filming concluded on March 23, 2000, he was gearing up for his 12th birthday, just like Harry.
Chamber of Secrets: 12 years old
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets began filming on Nov. 19, 2001 (five days after the release of the first movie), meaning Radcliffe got to enjoy his 12th birthday off-set this year.
Filming wrapped in July 2001, although the exact date is unknown. Either way, this would mark the last year Radcliffe’s birthday fully aligned with Harry’s. It has been reported that Harry Potter‘s production crew wanted to film the movies as close to each other as possible in order to avoid the actors, including Radcliffe, looking significantly older than their characters.
Prisoner of Azkaban: 13 – 14 years old
Like Harry, Radcliffe began his third year on the Hogwarts movie set as a 13-year-old. Filming began on Feb. 24, 2003, but when it wrapped in late November of that year, Daniel Radcliffe was already 14 years old.
The film was released in May 2004, which means that Radcliffe was almost on his 15th birthday by the time it came out.
Goblet of Fire: 14 – 15 years old
Goblet of Fire was important in that it signified a turning point for both the Harry Potter franchise and its actors. It marked the first time that Radcliffe was not the same age as Harry for a portion of the filming journey.
Radcliffe was 14 years old when filming began on May 4, 2004, but was already halfway through his 15th year when it concluded in March 2005.
Order of the Phoenix: 16 – 17 years old
Filming for Order of the Phoenix began on Feb. 7, 2006, and finished in November of that year (a far cry from the three years it took Rowling to write and release the book, I might add — we all remember that excruciatingly long wait).
Radcliffe was 16 years old when filming began, and was a budding 17-year-old young adult when it concluded.
Half-Blood Prince: 18 years old
Filming for Half-Blood Prince took place in record time, starting on Sept. 24, 2007, and ending on May 17, 2008. This was the first movie since Chamber of Secrets where Radcliffe was a single age during the whole filming process, a notable 18 years old. His character was only 16 years old, though.
Deathly Hallows Part 1: 19 – 20 years old
Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Part 2 were filmed back to back, from Feb. 2009 to June 2010. Radcliffe had already turned 19 years old during the gap between the last film and this one. Technically, he was 20 years old when Part 1 wrapped, however…
Deathly Hallows Part 2: 19 – 21 years old
Due to reshoots of the famous epilogue scene, which took place in Dec. 2010, Radcliffe turned the legal drinking age (in the U.S.) when Deathly Hallows Part 2 wrapped. As such, he officially spent a full 10 years filming Harry Potter, which is mind-boggling when you think back to your 11-year-old self vs your 21-year-old self.
Now should you have the itch to rewatch the whole series, as I’m sure you do, here’s how you can do that.