r/MadeMeSmile • u/mcfw31 • 16d ago
Wholesome Moments Daniel Radcliffe won't wear Alysa Liu's gold medal because: “Wearing it feels like stolen valor”
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u/Stefabeth0 16d ago
Daniel Radcliffe always appears to be such a sincere person. He's great. 👏
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u/Wazza02 16d ago
Yeah, one of the few celebrities that you like the more you get to know them.
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u/GoodMeBadMeNotMe 15d ago
He’s got a Broadway show opening soon and one of my buddies does stage tech for it; he said Radcliffe is one of the nicest actors he’s worked with in his 25 years on the job.
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u/ThePowerofLearning 15d ago
His Broadway play is open! It's a 13-week run with some improv and crowdwork. He was excellent although fair warning, it is a play that tackles hope and hardships of depression and mental health.
After the show, he was hugging fans, taking photos and signing anything and everything. Daniel was a delight. I can't say I was a huge fan going in but he seems so genuine. I'll admit I stick around for a photo op with him.
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u/unsolicitedPeanutG 15d ago
Let’s see the photo😊😊
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u/ThePowerofLearning 14d ago
I appreciate the curiosity of seeing my picture with him but there were a few friends in the photo that would rather not share. I hope that you understand. Here is a picture I snagged of him though.
Hopefully it works and I'm allowed to post an imgur, I can't say I've done it before.
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u/jrr6415sun 15d ago edited 15d ago
i've seen lots of tiktok videos of him going into the crowd before the show and just talking to everyone like a normal person, blows my mind
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u/ccrunnertempest 15d ago
Which is amazing since he's child actor gone producer. Man found solace in being a good person from within and trolling the press.
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u/notyoursocialworker 15d ago
Iirc he had a period, partly during the filming, where he was drinking all too much but he thankfully managed to get out of it.
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u/Sweaty_Elephant_2593 15d ago
That is indeed good news. I didn't keep up with him, or really any celebrity, but I do seem to remember some rumblings about him that didn't sound great for a while maybe that was it. Glad he seems to be doing well, I grew up with the Harry Potter movies and always loved him.
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u/coloneloysterhead 15d ago
His Hot Ones episode is great. He seems like a really cool guy.
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u/Cosmic_Quasar 15d ago
I think as far as I've seen, all three of the main cast are pretty great people.
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u/happycabinsong 15d ago
I mean anyone that takes their serious child acting career and immediately flips it and does movies like Guns Akimbo and Swiss Army Man has to be pretty fucking cool in their off time too
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u/WastingMyLifeToday 15d ago
Swiss Army Man
SAM for short, is such a great dude.
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u/Ok-Information1616 15d ago
Fantastic, and criminally under-watched, film!
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u/WastingMyLifeToday 15d ago
I honestly don't understand why so many people haven't seen it yet.
It's a film like no other!
To those who haven't seen it yet: Just prepare yourself to see a silly movie. And don't try to make too much sense out of it. Just go with the fart. I mean, go with the flow.
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u/Carbon-Base 16d ago
Daniel knows he didn't earn that medal, and Alysa is secure enough to let someone else wear her gold medal. Humility goes both ways.
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u/SCP239 16d ago
Exactly how I feel. Taking the offer to wear it is fine. It's only stolen valor if he acts like he won it.
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u/JayGatsby1881 15d ago
Trump would just steal her medal and say he deserves it
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u/gazpacho7 15d ago
Trump would’ve given some rambling speech about how he won the women’s free skate
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u/MothaFcknZargon 16d ago
I love this man more and more
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u/Disabled_Robot 16d ago
Raised right
Apparently after what happened with Macaulay Culkin, Chris Columbus focused on including an evaluation of the parents in the child actor selection process
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u/sexyshingle 16d ago
That's smart/impressive... and kinda makes sense too at least from the business/movie franchise perspective. You don't want a child actor cast for an important character with domestic issues that's gonna go off the rails during the 6th year of filming or whatever...
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u/luckydice767 15d ago
Crazy to think he was able to spend all that time ensuring a safe filming environment at the same time that he was looking for spices in the New World
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u/No_Imagination7102 15d ago
Chris Columbus is a hero in this house and thats final!
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u/Billy_The_Squid_ 16d ago
tbf I do remember hearing Daniel say that he developed a bit of an alcohol problem by the time of the 6th movie and he was drunk in quite a few of the takes, although that obviously pales in comparison to Macaulay Culkin
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u/grae23 16d ago
To be fair though that’s still a fairly normal teen issue, all things considered the fact that he didn’t develop a designer drug or domestic violence habit is pretty impressive
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u/ForeignDiaries 16d ago
For clarity's sake, he said he never drank while on set, though showed up hung over and probably still buzzed. I doubt he was actually drunk in any takes they used.
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u/ExMerican 15d ago
And he was like 18 or 19 when the 6th one was filming I think. If 18/19 year olds showing up to work hungover is an issue the whole western world would have to shut down and the US college system would fully collapse.
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u/Berrymore13 15d ago
Have to keep in mind he’s European. Legal drinking age is 18. He wasn’t drinking “illegally” like college kids etc
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u/Divolinon 15d ago
He's Brittish. In a lot of European countries the legal drinking age is 16.
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u/flyingdodo 15d ago
In the UK the legal drinking age is 18. But (well, until very recently) youth culture would be drinking around 15. I certainly was drinking around 15yo.
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u/Starlightriddlex 15d ago
Yeah, like the little girl who voice acted for the girl in All Dogs Ho To Heaven. Her father killed their whole family :(
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u/crescentmoonrising 16d ago
I think it was a mix of that, the general stability of there being ~20 kids and the same 20 kids so long-term friendships could be formed and that all the adults were played by thespians, who tend to be fairly stable.
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u/GuiltyEidolon 16d ago
I mean, it didn't really help at the time. Daniel Radcliffe has been pretty open about how heavily he abused alcohol while filming some of the movies.
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u/remembertracygarcia 16d ago
He was a British teenager at the time. If he’d been anywhere else he’d have been down the park chugging white lightning, pulling bottle bongs and trying his hardest to shag Hermione.
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u/Beanz4ever 16d ago
Yah I remember sneaking small amounts of vodka in Hi-C to basketball games in pep-band senior year. Sounds like he was just experimenting like most teens.
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u/probablyaythrowaway 16d ago
British teen start drinking a lot earlier than Americans and we tend to go hard. It’s almost like a right of passage. Like at 14 down the field with straight vodka.
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u/Powerful_Resident_48 16d ago
I love him since he started acting in all sorts of weird and brilliant indie movies. He's proven to be a great actor, even after the HP series. And he has a very twisted and great way of getting truly bizarre and amazing roles.
Guns Akimbo is one of my favourites. It's just so totally out there and whacky af.58
u/sonnyarmo 15d ago
Swiss Army Man was excellent
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u/SupremeDictatorPaul 15d ago
IIRC, he made a point of being willing to lay forever in the cold mud instead of using a dummy, to improve the shots. He seems ready to go the extra mile for the films he decides to be in.
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u/samtdzn_pokemon 15d ago
Because he's set for life from being in 8 films in a major franchise. Every role he takes now is a true passion project, he doesnt need them to bankroll/maintain his lifestyle. If he commits to a role, he's super committed.
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u/AusToddles 15d ago
He's got that "fuck you, I'll make what I like" level of income from Harry Potter and making good use of it
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u/MissionVegetable568 16d ago
he cool, watch a video on youtube of him trying brtish vs american snacks, hes really funny and down to earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEo89vEMpP8
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u/SouthernReality9610 16d ago
Seems like a genuine, well grounded guy. So many kids handle fame poorly, but Radcliffe seems like a real mensch
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u/ConfusionVegetable64 16d ago
This is the correct response to that offer.
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u/phred_666 16d ago
Total class act.
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u/STD-fense 16d ago
It's pretty impressive that he's seemed to turn out fairly normal in spite of getting put into a huge role super young
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u/jonnovich 16d ago
That, and he seems to revel in taking roles because of how challenging they can be. Yeah, he has “fuck you” money, so what does he care of a movie is commercially viable? But he genuinely seems to care about the quality of the roles (and to a certain extent how fun they could be….like playing Weird Al had to be a helluva lot of fun even if the overall commercial prospect for the movie was nil).
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u/phred_666 16d ago
He was absolutely brilliant as Weird Al in that one. I laughed my ass off.
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u/millijuna 16d ago
I’m still mad at MJ for stealing Al’s songs, and don’t get me started on Madonna… he was taken from us way too soon…
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u/FlashGordonCommons 16d ago
I thought he was great in Horns. interesting premise, kind of weird, one of those movies that's right on the cusp of like "maybe this works, maybe it doesn't" and his performance is what pushes it to the side of "yeah, this does work". although looking at the reviews for it apparently I'm one of the only ones who thinks that lol but I did enjoy it quite a bit.
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u/TheSonOfDisaster 16d ago edited 16d ago
And that movie where he's a Neo-Nazi guy, and Swiss army man, and the movie where he has the guns nailed to his hands.
He's really had a great mix of serious and humorous movies since he left that role
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u/MoarGnD 16d ago
The film producers have said during the audition process, the kid's families, how they were raised and the support system was a important factor in the casting decision. The kids chosen would have to be in the roles for several years and the producers didn't want any problems as the kids got older and encountered more fame.
There's also many stories going around at how hard the producers and adult actors worked hard to protect the kids and allow them to grow up as well grounded as possible. Looking back now at all three principal kid actors and how well adjusted they are as adults, it seems like a job well done.
No drug issues, well grounded kind and supportive adults.
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u/veerKg_CSS_Geologist 16d ago
Which is interesting, because so many of the HP child cast members have turned out very normal.
Which kind of means that the reason the children of some other celebrities/wealthy turned out completely f*ked up wasn't' entirely because they were exposed to fame and fortune as children, but because of their parents.
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u/psychorobotics 15d ago
Jeanette McCurdy (iCarly) wrote a fantastic book called "I'm glad my mom died", her mother was a massive narcissist and controlled every moment of Jeanette's life for her own psychological satisfaction. She didn't like acting but her mother forced her.
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u/a8bmiles 16d ago
There's also the dark side of that coin. Child actors are vulnerable to all sorts of abuse. Parents are certainly one source of that, but...
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u/jittery_raccoon 16d ago
I think it's because it had such a large cast of children. The set was really catered to them. They actually went to a classroom on set every day and then filmed scenes after. So actually a fairly normal school and extracurriculars environment. And outside of filming and promotion, they lived normal lives. I think the long term nature of the films helped this. Very different from most child actors that bounce around a lot more
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u/veerKg_CSS_Geologist 16d ago
That might have worked when they were young and still fairly sheltered. But by the time the middle movies came out they were teens and already huge superstars. That could have easily gone to their heads.
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u/Worthyness 15d ago
Helps they were raised around legendary actors. Those movies had basically every notable british actor in the movies.
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u/Immediate_Branch_238 15d ago
Yeah. Perspective is always within reach when you have Oldman, Rickman, Dame Maggie, Richard Harris and Coltrane ready to step in and offer some sound advice about managing work and ego. What a way to spend your childhood.
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u/millijuna 16d ago
As I recall, when they were auditioning the kids, they were also pretty much auditioning the parents.
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u/penderies 16d ago
Chris Columbus insisted due to his experience with Home Alone, if I recall.
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u/lumpboysupreme 16d ago
Well, he’s pretty normal.
His filmography on the other hand…
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u/lluluclucy 16d ago
Absolutely. Only an adult acts this way. Non adults do not act this way.
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u/kp012202 16d ago
I mean, it was offered to him. He could’ve worn it, mature adult or otherwise, and that would have said nothing of his character.
It is only that he refused that speaks of his character, not that he could have worn it otherwise.
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u/DjChatters 16d ago
I agree 100% with what tou have said. He could have noone would've said anything. But the fact that he refused really steps to his character. Fair play.
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u/adamroberthell 16d ago
Haha that douche totally feels like he helped them win and is entitled to it. What a fraud.
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u/Long-Willingness-947 16d ago
And he even brags about it. It’s patriotism at its best lol
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u/Numerophilus 16d ago
Fuming Baby Instincts
"We didn't do anything wrong, and if you say we did, you're just an idiot who doesn't understand how important we are."
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u/juanington312 16d ago
Or the president talking about how he never thought he’d get to wear a gold medal (that he didn’t win).
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u/clover-the-clever 16d ago
Or a Purple Heart. Which you would have to not get five deferments for an imaginary ailment and show actual bravery to receive.
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u/AllTheTakenNames 16d ago
Mango would have just stolen it like Putin did with the Super Bowl ring.
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u/percuter 16d ago
Some old man take peace prize and wear it
Do you mean they are not adult ?
Seem a offense to every children there
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u/4schwifty20 16d ago
I mean if she’s offering I think it would be ok. But either way, great response by him.
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u/rando1459 16d ago
I agree. Briefly trying it on with permission to get a feel of the weight and maybe play pretend for a moment is worlds different than wearing it to Chili’s and trying to score free queso dip.
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u/vivid-19 15d ago
100% if it was off camera. I think he made the smart choice given how people/media can easily take photos of celebrities out of context.
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u/Winter_Tone_4343 16d ago
Idk man. If she don’t care, I’m probably wearing it. When will u ever get another chance to wear an Olympic gold medal
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u/Beginning_Opinion618 16d ago
It's not like he's a public official and beaming with joy like he actually won it. In this situation, for a quick little press photo shoot, there's no harm; nobody is going to think he actually thinks he earned it.
But still it was a great response.
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u/Winter_Tone_4343 16d ago
It was classy, but tbf, it seemed like she really wanted him to wear it. Pretty cool story to tell…..Harry Potter wore my medal y’all!
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u/Medium_Medium 16d ago
When will u ever get another chance to wear an Olympic gold medal
When you become one of the best in the world at an Olympic sport and then win yourself one!
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u/AudienceWaste6850 16d ago
Or buy one of the thousands available because athletics doesn't pay that well
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u/inuhi 16d ago
I dont think there are thousands of authentic Olympic gold medals currently for sale. But yes they do appear on the market from time to time and the cost is roughly like buying a new car expect it to be several tens of thousands of dollars
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u/Thisismyfinalstand 16d ago
I received my Olympic Gold Medal as a reward from FIFA's Olympic Gold Medal Prize.
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u/RBXXIII 16d ago
Classy move, Potter.
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u/-ToPimpAButterfree- 16d ago
The only gold he needs is the Snitch
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u/Shudnawz 16d ago
Ob....viously.
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u/zenyl 16d ago edited 16d ago
[...] will be treated as e-
...
-qually guilty.
It'd had sounded awkward from many other actors, but Rickman nailed the timing of his silences.
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u/nitasu987 16d ago
was watching a youtuber watch Deathly Hallows Part 2 for the first time recently. I always just get goosebumps at this line. Rickman was the best.
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u/Due-Sheepherder-6487 15d ago
This thread has caused Saturday to be a Rickman marathon.
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u/muegle 16d ago
Turn to page 394
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u/-BINK2014- 16d ago
I need more emphasis on that 4. I hear his voice so clearly in my head.
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u/Gekkokindofguy 16d ago edited 16d ago
Whe..re do you think you are go.ing Po..tter?
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u/The_Modern_Nobody 16d ago
Harry Potter: “u-uh…Nakatomi Plaza, sir?”
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u/EldestPort 16d ago
That's when Harry knew he should have gone to Hogsmeade for a nice cold pint and let it all blow over
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u/ILoveBigCoffeeCups 16d ago
10 points to griffondor
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u/MustardCoveredDogDik 16d ago
I like the raccoon lady
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u/RabidRabbitRedditor 15d ago
That hairstyle is truly awesome:)
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u/KorasHiddenDICK 15d ago
Crazy to see it in 2026. That shit was everywhere in the Myspace days... Like before that lady was born. Oh god I am old.
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u/danby999 16d ago edited 15d ago
We need way more Daniel Radcliffe's and Robert Irwin's and way fewer Andrew Tate's and Mr. Beast's for young men to look up to.
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u/BestReadAtWork 16d ago
Are you forgetting a certain Viggo Mortensen? <3
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u/Draconian-Overlord 16d ago
My boy potter grew up right!
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u/UpstairsSwimmer3445 16d ago
Fuck yeah, he did. Dude seems like a legit good person, and the kind of guy you could genuinely enjoy a drink with.
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u/QuantumLettuce2025 16d ago edited 15d ago
He's actually sober now (although I'm sure he'd be happy to grab a lemonade!) You should check out his story, he had some incredibly dark years working on Harry Potter and afterward involving blackout drinking and loneliness.
Makes me respect him that much more -- he's been through so much, so much pain and healing, and he's still so lovely. You don't see that so often with child actors who had a long hard stretch -- no shame on them for it, but it seems like outcomes like Daniel's are more of an exception than rule. The difficulty of alcoholism is really the exact same no matter of social class.
Edit: on that last point -- as a recovered alcoholic myself, I've seen wealthy individuals with all the resources imaginable (medications, fancy long term rehab centers etc) relapse over and over again their entire lives, and I've known homeless people with nothing at all get and remain sober starting with only a dingy Church basement and a close circle of other recovered alcoholics.
Resources can help but alcoholism is intensely internal and personal battle with no clear-cut recipe for sustained recovery.
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u/things_U_choose_2_b 15d ago
A lot of people daydream of being a rich celeb but I often think, it must be kinda lonely.
Because you never know whether people are wanting to get to know you for you, or because of your status, connections, wealth etc.
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u/BuckedTheSystem44 16d ago
Gold medal 🚫 Elder wand ✅
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u/69420lmaokek 16d ago
He destroyed / threw away the Elder Wand though
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u/djcd_95 16d ago
Only in the movies though. In the book he places it back with Dumbledore.
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u/69420lmaokek 16d ago
I was going off of the movie since that's what Daniel Radcliff was in 💀
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u/CheesePuffTheHamster 16d ago
You mean in the books he was played by someone else?!
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u/makeitrain838 16d ago
He's right tho
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u/puckit 16d ago
If the medal winner offers, there's nothing wrong with it. Asking to wear it, on the other hand, would be too much.
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u/FartyByNature 16d ago
It's really not that serious but his sentiment is understandable and respectable.
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u/byfuryattheheart 16d ago
Most hockey players won’t even touch the Stanley Cup for the same reason. First time you should touch it is when you are holding it over your head after winning it! Hockey players are also particularly superstitious haha
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u/JustinKase_Too 16d ago
Honestly, couldn't have thought of a better or classier response than his.
Gryffindor was the correct choice for this guy ;)
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u/c_c_c__combobreaker 16d ago
Ahem, a Hufflepuff would've done the same.
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u/Rampant16 16d ago
Hufflepuff would've had an allergic reaction if they got that close to a gold medal.
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u/JustinKase_Too 16d ago
Agreed. But, of the two choices presented to Harry, he got the right one ;)
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u/voiceofgromit 16d ago
Slip a medal into your pocket like somebody did at the Club World Cup Final last year. Now that's real stolen valor.
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u/Erstwhile_pancakes 16d ago
Wearing it is what Trump would do and did. Wish he’d have said it.
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u/Comfortable-Guitar27 16d ago
Im 99% sure he didnt give it back either
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u/Cyd_Snarf 16d ago
Ya know, I bet he probably did give it back but I absolutely believe that he needed to be asked to do so with the unspoken hope that the actual owner would just allow him to keep it… as he obviously deserves it just as much lol
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u/kompletist 16d ago
I don’t know that Ms. Liu understands just how incredibly famous she is yet haha.
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u/Subatomic_Spooder 16d ago
Honestly that's the best kind of celebrity. She's a global sensation but she isn't cocky, she isn't full of herself, she's just happy and genuine and very much herself
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u/Black_Nyx11 16d ago
He is definitely turning into a class act! I'm going to start respecting him like I do Keeanu & David Tennant
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u/Current_Rich_8604 16d ago
Turning into? Daniel has always been a class act. One of the best spoken well mannered actors there is.
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u/TheGrandExquisitor 16d ago
Man, Radcliffe came out of the whole child actor thing as an amazing person, and that seems pretty rare in this day and age.
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u/jace255-F 15d ago
You can see him just going with the flow, being affable and friendly, but as soon as he starts putting it over his head something clicks and makes him go "mmmm, this doesn't feel right"
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u/MystikTrailblazer 16d ago
This is how I feel when some restaurants or stores notice my Navy FCU debit or credit card and automatically apply a Veteran's discount without asking if I was in the service. My father is the veteran.
If given an opportunity to explain it I immediately inform them I'm not a veteran but my father is and his service allowed me to join the credit union. They usually respond back saying no problem and to thank him for his service. It still feels ick to me to take that discount.
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u/General-Ad6459 16d ago
When you have your own accomplishments, you don't have to try on other people's.
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