Daniel Radcliffe, who has made a name for himself choosing kooky, zany and wacky projects since leaving the role of The Boy Who Lived, is adding another unusual choice to his roster…with a Weird Al Yankovic biopic. It will stream exclusively on the Roku Channel.
Al Yankovic is known for his comedy music albums and live shows, in which he parodies particular genres or even specific songs. One of his signatures is playing the accordion. He is one of only three artists to land top 40 hits in each of the last four decades – the others being Michael Jackson and Madonna. Yankovic has co-written the script for the biopic.
Radcliffe has appeared in Broadway musicals, such as How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, with required both an American accent and a good singing voice, so he has some training for the role.
Since last playing Harry Potter in 2011, and even sometimes during the time when he was making the hugely successful franchise, Radcliffe has made extremely interesting career choices on both stage and screen.
In 2007, while aged 17, Radcliffe appeared naked on stage in a production of Equus, as a character with a sexual attraction to horses.
Radcliffe also starred in Gothic horror The Woman in Black, as poet Allen Ginsberg in Kill Your Darlings and as a young man who sprouts Devil-like horns from his head in Horns – all in 2012-2013.
Weirdest of all was Radcliffe’s role as a flatulent corpse in Swiss Army Man, co-starring Paul Dano. And then there was Guns Akimbo, in which he plays someone who wakes up to find a gun bolted to each of his hands. So, hopefully you’re getting the picture of Daniel Radcliffe’s weird and wonderful acting career…
Yankovic has released a statement, saying; I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.”
If you’re looking forward to seeing Harry Potter play Al Yankovic, you might be interested in our guides to the best comedy movies and the best musicals.