Daniel Radcliffe ranks Harry Potter films, says Half-Blood Prince is 'bottom of the bracket': 'That’s my own stuff'

For someone almost synonymous with the wizarding world, Daniel Radcliffe has a rather complicated relationship with his most famous role. Best known as Harry Potter in the Harry Potter film series, for millennials at least, the actor, who quite literally grew up on screen, admits he doesn’t exactly revisit the films for nostalgia.

Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, Radcliffe revealed he hasn’t watched the movies in quite some time. And when he does, it’s less comfort viewing, more self-assessment. “When I was 18, I would cringe at the earlier films. Now, I think the early films are sweet, and I cringe watching myself at 18 or 19,” he said.

The conversation soon turned lighter, with Radcliffe gamely ranking the films. Between Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, he picked the latter, thanks, in part, to its memorable Basilisk, the terrifying snake, residing in the Chamber of Secrets.

In a choice that might raise a few eyebrows among fans, he also favoured Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire over the widely acclaimed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, often praised for its darker tone and distinctive direction. For Radcliffe, though, the fourth instalment stood out simply because of how much he enjoyed the experience of making it. “I know everyone wants me to say Azkaban. I know that’s how everyone else feels, but I love the stuff I got to do on the fourth movie; it was awesome. So I’ll say Goblet of Fire,” Radcliffe said. 

When it came to his top pick, there was no hesitation: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, the emotional finale that brought the saga to a close alongside co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. On the other end of the list, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ranks lowest for him—though he was quick to clarify that his criticism is aimed more at his own performance than the film itself. “Half-Blood Prince is probably the bottom of the bracket for me,” he admitted. “And that’s my own stuff. That’s not the film.”