Daniel Radcliffe was introduced to audiences in 2001 as the titular character in theHarry Potterfilm series, but his actual feature film debut came in a star-studded spy thriller earlier that same year.Radcliffe began acting as a young child and made his acting debut in 1999, playing a young David Copperfield in a television filmadaptation of Charles Dickens' famous novel. When the first installment oftheHarry Potterfilm series,Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was released, Radcliffe was only 12 years old, making the young actor’s rise to fame instantaneous.
Radcliffe kept busy after his time as Harry Potter, taking on an impressive range of roles in films, television series, and various plays, successfully distancing himself from the beloved wizard he grew up portraying. Due to how young Radcliffe was when he began portraying Harry, andbecause of how many years he spent as the character, it can be easy for one to assume Harry Potter was the actor’s first role. Though the scale and notability of Radcliffe’s actual first film role is less than that of Harry Potter, it’s still connected to the character in a fascinating way.
Daniel Radcliffe’s First Movie Role Was In The Tailor Of Panama
Radcliffe Starred In The Movie Alongside Future Harry Potter Actor Brendan Gleeson
A few months beforeHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stonewas released, Radcliffe made his feature film debut in John Boorman’sThe Tailor of Panama. Unlike the role of Harry that made him a star, Radcliffe’s part inThe Tailor of Panamais significantly smaller.In the film, Radcliffe portrays Mark Pendel, the son of Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis' characters, Harry and Louisa. The spy thrillerfilm is based on John le Carré’s 1996 novelof the same name and stars Rush alongside Pierce Brosnan in leading roles.
After Brosnan’s MI6 agent Andy Osnard is reassigned to Panama, he coerces Rush’s Harry, an ex-convict turned tailor working for many of the elite individuals in the country, to spy on the various elites. The le Carré novel, which the film is based on, was an exciting departure from the author’s previous work at the time.The novel, and thus Boorman’sThe Tailor of Panamafilm, are quite satirical, but still contain the expected dark beatsof a spy thriller that keep the audience hooked.
In addition to working alongside Rush, Curtis, and Brosnan, Radcliffe’s most notable co-star inThe Tailor of Panamais Brendan Gleeson, who plays Mickie, a friend of Harry’s.Gleeson and Radcliffe would later reunite inHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where the former portrayed the famous Mad-Eye Moody. The character was introduced in the film as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who wasn’t exactly who he appeared to be.
Actors Like Tom Felton And Robert Pattinson Made Their Film Debuts Before Harry Potter
As Harry Potter, Radcliffe grew up alongside young actors around the same age. Many of Radcliffe’s fellow cast members had minimal acting experience before their big-screen debut in theHarry Potterfilm series. Actors like Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Matthew Lewis, and James and Oliver Phelps made their film debut withHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. However, like Radcliffe,a few of his co-stars already had a feature film credit or two to their name. Tom Felton, Robert Pattinson, and Devon Murray each had a feature film role before they joined theHarry Potterseries.
Before Murray was Seamus Finnigan, he had a minor role in the biographical dramaAngela’s Ashesabout Frank McCourt.Felton made his film debut in the 1997 fantasy comedyThe Borrowersalongside John Goodman and Hugh Laurie, followed by the period dramaAnna and the King, where he played a young Louis T. Leonowens.
Pattinson’s scenes from his debut film role as Rawdy Crawley in [Vanity Fair] were ultimately deleted from the final cut.
The first time Pattinson was introduced to audiences was asthe character of Cedric Diggoryin 2005’sHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Though this is technically his big-screen debut,he did work on the Reese Witherspoon-ledVanity Fair, which was released the year before.However, Pattinson’s scenes from his debut film role as Rawdy Crawley in the film were ultimately deleted from the final cut. As is the case with Radcliffe, it’s likely for many people to assumeHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fireis Pattinson’s first film role, though such an assumption wouldn’t be as far off.
