Daniel Radcliffe Got The Weird Al Role For A Hilarious Reason
Daniel Radcliffe scored the role of Weird Al for a performance he put on years and years ago showcasing his ability to pull off the part
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We imagine that it takes a lot to out-weird Weird Al Yankovic, but that’s just what Daniel Radcliffe did back in 2010 during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show. Sitting next to Colin Farrell and Rihanna, the actor busted out the Tom Lehrer tune “The Elements” with no mistakes at all. It was this appearance that made a lightbulb go off for the accordion-wielding parodist when he was seeking to cast someone as himself in his biopic, WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story. During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the Harry Potter star revealed that the songwriter saw his performance from 12 years ago and thought “This guy maybe gets it,” leading Radcliffe to earn the highly coveted role.
Although the actor’s love of the wacky satirist musician’s works may have led Weird Al to cast him in the upcoming film, there were more signs over the years that Daniel Radcliffe was the right choice for the part. While it’s hard to find a way to get out from the shadow of the chosen wizard from the Harry Potter franchise, Radcliffe moved through his career following the wrap of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II picking up fun and different projects to show the world that he was more than just the leading character who walked the halls of Hogwarts.
Some even took a turn for the silly and bizarre including the 2014 comedy-horror flick, Horns, in which the actor appeared as a grieving boyfriend attempting to track down his girlfriend’s killer. The twist? One day he just wakes up with a giant set of horns on his head. Another classic in the strange files of Daniel Radcliffe’s credits can be found under 2016’s, Swiss Army Man. Starring opposite Paul Dano, Radcliffe appeared as a deceased man whose flatulence carried the whole film, literally. While all of these reasons would be enough for anyone to see that Daniel Radcliffe was the man for the job of Weird Al, his performance of “The Elements” further solidified it.
For those who are out of the loop, WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, will follow the early life of the performer whose hits include “Eat It,” “White and Nerdy,” and (a personal favorite) “Amish Paradise” as he rose to prominence and the party lifestyle he led along the way. There’s also a whole subplot about his relationship with mega-star Madonna, which may come as a shock to many when they really sit down and think about it.
The movie recently wrapped filming and while we’ve only seen one photo of Daniel Radcliffe’s Weird Al makeover so far, it’s only a matter of time before more first looks and trailers are released. If you were wondering just how Radcliffe came to be the leading man in the tale of a parodist’s rise to fame, we hope this clears it up for you a bit. While performing “The Elements” had a big part in it, we are positive that his taking on other roles in films such as Guns Akimbo and the aforementioned Swiss Army man certainly didn’t hurt.
