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Not My Job: Actor Daniel Radcliffe Gets Quizzed On Chia Pets

PETER SAGAL, HOST:

One of my favorite interviews of the past year was with Daniel Radcliffe, who starred as Harry Potter in every one of the eight films until he got too old, and the lightning scar got all wrinkly.

(LAUGHTER)

BILL KURTIS: This interview actually happened in 2014. But we're going to credit it this year to make it look better.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

DANIEL RADCLIFFE: Thank you very much.

SAGAL: Not to beat around the bush any further. Dan, you of course starred as Harry Potter in all the movies, and...

RADCLIFFE: Yes.

SAGAL: ...We watched so many of them with my children, it felt like you were also a member of the family...

RADCLIFFE: Yeah.

SAGAL: ...Albeit a more obedient and cheerful one.

LUKE BURBANK: And magical.

SAGAL: And magical. But I sat down this week, and I watched your new movie "Horns." And I didn't have a timer, but it seemed in the first five minutes, you smoked, drank, swore like a sailor. I believe you urinated on a religious shrine and generally behaved very badly. And I want to ask you, how good did that feel?

(LAUGHTER)

RADCLIFFE: It was pretty great. I mean, not necessarily urinating on a religious shrine.

SAGAL: No, of course not.

RADCLIFFE: That's not something that I've, like, longed to do for ages. But it's nice to play a part that is so different. And I get like - he's kind of a badass in himself.

SAGAL: You do, in fact, grow horns...

RADCLIFFE: Yes.

SAGAL: ...Which is a look.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: I'm sure a lot of the people out there who always thought "Harry Potter" was satanic are going, aha, I told you.

RADCLIFFE: Yeah, I know. But I sort of enjoy annoying those people. I mean...

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: I - there are so many things to ask you about as the star of the most profitable and probably most widely seen film series of all time. But let's just start with the action figures and toys.

RADCLIFFE: (Laughter).

SAGAL: If I were to go to your house, would I see any "Harry Potter" memorabilia? Any little Daniel Radcliffes and friends?

RADCLIFFE: No. You'd see - what have I got? You know, what you're more likely to find is like sort of homemade "Harry Potter" dolls that I get sort of given - not by me. I hated dolls.

SAGAL: That would be hilarious if you sat around all day.

RADCLIFFE: Yeah, that's what I've been spending my time with.

SAGAL: Yes.

RADCLIFFE: Instead of filming, I also make dolls. There's a few of those but not too many action figures.

SAGAL: I did want to ask you - I mean, again, a lot of questions. But I remember hearing a story once that the original Dumbledore, Richard Harris, couldn't quite remember his lines. And that you said that you actually went in there and asked him to help you run his - run yours, rather - so that he could practice his without you asking him.

RADCLIFFE: Yeah. I was an incredibly politic little child, it turns out.

(LAUGHTER)

RADCLIFFE: Yeah. I remember - I do remember that. I also - one of my other, like, amazing memories of Richard - in the second film that faux phoenix is there. And it was animatronically operated from guys who were outside the set. And they had a camera like in the head of the phoenix so they could, like, see what people were doing right in front so they could interact with it. And Richard 100 percent thought it was real.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: So wait a minute. So this is the magical golden phoenix that Dumbledore has as a pet. And he actually thought that they had found a phoenix of some kind.

(LAUGHTER)

RADCLIFFE: He was, like, going up to it - and because as soon as he started, like, interacting with it, and the guys outside, like, realized this was happening, they started, like, pandering to it, playing with him more and more. And it was lovely. It was a really like...

(LAUGHTER)

RADCLIFFE: It was really - it's just one of those great moments. But no, he was a lovely, lovely man.

SAGAL: One of the things I've always wondered - again, I've seen all of those films many, many times with my family - they made the first film, I guess, going back they cast it back in like 2000 - I guess it was or maybe even earlier. And they cast you and the other then-children in the lead roles and many of the supporting roles. And pretty much all of you made it to the final film. And you all did a wonderful job. But none of you went nuts, flamed out, started behaving badly in public places. As far as I know, none of you were seen getting out of a limousine without underwear during the entire filming. How was - I mean, just probability would indicate that that's extremely unlikely.

RADCLIFFE: Well, I mean, you think that. But there are also loads of kind of successful cases of people who start young becoming, you know - Elijah Wood and Tobey Maguire and Jodie Foster and - you know, I can't think of more. But there are...

SAGAL: That's it. That's it. It's you guys - those four.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SAGAL: Everybody else is, like...

RADCLIFFE: But I think for all of us, I mean, I can only speak for myself, but, like, there was never a moment when I didn't want to be there. And I'm just lucky that I really, really liked my job.

SAGAL: Apparently. We have to ask you about this because you blew up the internet with your rendition of "Alphabet Aerobics," the rap thing by Blackalicious.

RADCLIFFE: Yeah.

SAGAL: You did it on "The Tonight Show" this week. And people were amazed. Is this like - I mean, are you going to do, like, the Bruce Willis thing and go from acting into music now?

RADCLIFFE: Did Bruce Willis do that?

SAGAL: Oh, you are young.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: I'm telling you this could work out for you if this acting thing in the end. Well, Daniel Radcliffe, what a pleasure to talk to you in person. But we have invited you here today to play a game we're calling...

KURTIS: Sure, you're Harry Potter, but what do you know about hairy pottery?

RADCLIFFE: Oh, dear.

SAGAL: Hairy pottery. In other words, Chia pets.

(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Those strange little planters that grow Chia leaves looking amazingly like hair. We're going to ask you three questions about Chia Pets, and if you get two right, you'll win a prize for one of our listeners - Carl Kasell's voice on their voicemail. Bill, who is Daniel Radcliffe playing for?

KURTIS: Abhijeet Lakhia of Panjim, India.

SAGAL: That's interesting. She'll be far enough away so that if you screw this up, you probably won't run into her.

(LAUGHTER)

RADCLIFFE: Well, that's good.

SAGAL: All right. Here's your first question. Chia Pets come in many shapes and models, including special holiday additions. You could, if you wanted, buy which of these - A, a Chia Zombie for Halloween; B, a Chia John Hancock for the Fourth of July; or C, a Chia Dead Firstborn Son for Passover?

(LAUGHTER)

RADCLIFFE: I mean, they'd all be good.

SAGAL: Wouldn't they?

RADCLIFFE: I mean, I'm going to have to - I'm going to go with A 'cause that seems the most likely.

SAGAL: The Chia Zombie. The audience agrees, and you are right.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: It is, in fact. What it is is, like, a zombie arm emerging from a Chia lawn. You can pick that up for your shelf.

RADCLIFFE: That's pretty nice.

SAGAL: It is nice.

RADCLIFFE: I'm going to go and find some Chia pets afterward.

SAGAL: Probably. So we're making a shopping list. Chia Pets...

RADCLIFFE: I'm going to have an evening of Bruce Willis music and Chia Pets.

SAGAL: There you are.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: And that's the life we always imagined you living, I have to say.

(LAUGHTER)

SAGAL: All right, you have two more chances. Let's go. Sometimes, Chia fans create their own Chia Pets to honor certain people they may admire, including which of these? A, Liberace; B, billionaire investor Warren Buffett; or C, Saddam Hussein?

RADCLIFFE: I - this is tricky. But - I'm sorry, I don't know how that noise sounded, by the way. I will go - like the idea of a Warren Buffet Chia Pet. Please tell me that's true.

SAGAL: I can't do that, Daniel. As much as I admire you, it's Saddam Hussein. The Saddam Hussein Chia was allegedly marketed under the name Chia Thug. When the plants grew in, it looked like Saddam Hussein's hair and beard. Nobody has been able to find one outside of a photograph of the box, so it may not be real, but we can hope so. All right.

Daniel, this is exciting. You have one more chance to get this right and win our prize for our listener. Joseph Enterprises is the company that makes Chia Pets - always has. It's also responsible for other As Seen On TV products you can purchase for your home including which of these? A, Mandles - which are candles for men. They come in scents like fresh fish, kegger, and auto shop; or B, the Literal Insanity Workout DVDs - an exercise series led by the inmates at the Danvers State Hospital; or C, the Shamu-Wow, a super absorbent towel to clean your marine mammals?

RADCLIFFE: Oh, what? One of them is real?

SAGAL: Yes, Mandles...

(LAUGHTER)

RADCLIFFE: OK. I'm going to go with - I'm going to go with the candles one, the ridiculous candles.

SAGAL: You're going to go with Mandles? You're right, Daniel.

(SOUNDBITE OF BELL)

SAGAL: Very good. You can buy Mandles. Some other flavors or scents that Mandles come in - swimsuit model - what does that smell like space? - space cake and stripper's mouth. That's minty-fresh breath. Bill Kurtis, how did Daniel Radcliffe do on our quiz?

KURTIS: Enough to win, 2 out of 3.

SAGAL: That's great. Nobody expected anything less from you, Daniel.

(APPLAUSE)

SAGAL: Daniel Radcliffe, thank you so much for joining us on WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME.

RADCLIFFE: Thank you very much.

SAGAL: What a pleasure to talk to you.

(SOUNDBITE OF ERICH KUNZEL & THE CINCINNATI POPS' "HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE, FILM SCORE - HEDWIG'S THEME")

SAGAL: When we come back, our panelists pick on the press and this show actually breaks some news about the 2020 elections. Really? We couldn't believe it ourselves. That's all coming up in a minute on WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME from NPR. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.