While trying to do so, he had a little help.
During the filming of the classic series, Daniel Radcliffe had a stunt double named David Holmes who was cast at 17 years old.
In his memoir, he recalled how the 11-year-old Radcliffe was excited to some stunts or "gags" as they were known himself on the set of the first film in the franchise, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone – which was released 23 years go today.
Holmes recalled the moment they shot the scene at the end of the film where Voldemort's ghost passes through Harry and sends him to the floor in his memoir, The Boy Who Lived.
"I had given Dan his own set of hip and back pads to mark the occasion, but during the set-up he'd taken the wrong position and was a couple of steps ahead of where he was supposed to be. Worse, I hadn't noticed.
"As filming began, Dan fell back as planned, but smacked his head on the wall behind.
"When I looked down at him, his eyes were brimming with tears. My stomach lurched."
Holmes felt terrible as he was responsible for not only doling stunts but also ensuring that Radcliffe's stunts were fully safe to perform. He was distracted as he had "busted a rib or two" and had "taken my eye off the ball".
But Holmes' panic may have been premature, as once the crew had decided to wrap for the day, "Dan looked crestfallen.
"That's when I realised: Dan hadn't been crying from the pain. He was worried that he wouldn't get to complete his first ever gag."
English (US) ·