Daniel Radcliffe shares hilarious behind-the-scenes moments with Dumbledore actor

Daniel Radcliffe has fond memories of working with the late Michael Gambon on the Harry Potter films, praising the actor’s mischievous sense of humor and unpretentious approach to acting.

Speaking on First We Feast’s Hot Ones, Radcliffe, 36, recalled that Gambon—who took over the role of Albus Dumbledore from Richard Harris in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban—“f**** around all the time” on set, constantly trying to make him laugh.

“Michael Gambon, may he rest in peace, incredible man. He f***** around all the time. Like he would never stop until action had been said sometimes, he would try and make me laugh,” Radcliffe said.

The actor described Gambon’s unique approach to acting as refreshingly straightforward compared to some of his colleagues. 

“Some actors like to dress the whole process up in mystique and being an enigma. Michael Gambon, you’d get to set and he’d be like, ‘What’s the shot?’” Radcliffe recalled.

He shared a humorous on-set moment from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

“We were in this little boat going over to this island surrounded by bad stuff. And he’d be like, ‘What’s this, TTIAB?’ I was like, what? ‘Two t**** in a boat?’”

Radcliffe also praised Imelda Staunton, who played Dolores Umbridge, for her relaxed demeanor between takes while remaining focused during scenes. 

“She would be chatting to everybody about anything, and then when action gets said, she’s locked in and so good,” he said.

Reflecting on his own growth as an actor, Radcliffe said filming the series in his late teens initially made him self-conscious. 

“You’re in the most self-conscious phase of your life… And that came out of self-consciousness, and self-consciousness is the enemy of acting, in any shape or form,” he explained.

He added that performing on Broadway taught him to embrace his “natural weirdness” as a strength. “Any natural weirdness I have, from my face or expression or physicality, you’ve got to lean into it… That’s a big lesson,” Radcliffe said.