Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has said it feels "very natural" to be moving on in his acting career, away from the character who has made him a global name. The 22-year-old actor stars as widowed father and lawyer Arthur Kipps in the new Hammer horror adaptation of the gothic ghost story The Woman in Black, directed by James Watkins.
It is Radcliffe's first film role since the final Harry Potter movie was released last year, and fans of the boy wizard lined the red carpets at London's Royal Festival Hall, brandishing Harry Potter memorabilia to be signed. Radcliffe said of his new role: "It felt very natural to be stepping into another character and starting this next phase of my career."The film is a dark tale full of scary moments but Radcliffe insisted there had not been such a gloomy atmosphere on set.
"We had a very nice, relaxed time on all of our locations. It was a very good time and nothing scary happened," he said. The film, which is already a hit West End play, was adapted from Susan Hill's novel by Kick-Ass script writer Jane Goldman. Radcliffe insisted the pressure of The Woman In Black's long-running success had not loomed over him while making the film.
"They're totally separate entities so I don't think we are going to be compared to other versions of it. But it will be great for this classic story to get such a wide audience," he said. Goldman, who attended the premiere with husband Jonathan Ross, revealed she was very impressed by Radcliffe's performance. "I think he's incredible and so many people have come up to me at screenings and said they have been blown away by Daniel," she said. "And rightly so, he's amazing."