The ‘Harry Potter’ actor took home the award for ‘best featured actor in a musical’ with ‘Merrily We Roll Along’: “It was one of the best experiences of my life” and “When I finished the saga I had no idea what my career would be like.”
by Rolling Stone
Daniel Radcliffe won a Tony Award, the Oscar of American theatre. The actor took home the award for best featured actor in a musical for Merrily We Roll Along. Radcliffe plays lyricist and playwright Charley Kringas in the 1981 revival of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s play. The original production lasted just 12 days before being shut down.
“I’m going to talk quickly and try not to cry,” Radcliffe said in his acceptance speech. “This was one of the best experiences of my life. It was amazing”.
“It’s an honor to be on stage with all of you every night,” he added of his co-stars, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, and the musical’s entire cast. He then took a moment to thank her parents, who were in the audience.
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“Happy Father’s Day, Dad,” he said toward the end of his speech. “Thank you for making me feel like Sondheim in the car and for just loving me.”
Since ending his decade-long run as Harry Potter, Radcliffe has found a new kind of success, having received his first Emmy nomination in 2023 for his portrayal of Weird Al Yankovic in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and now his first Tony win.
“It’s amazing,” the actor said backstage after his win. “When I’m done Harry Potter, I had no idea what my career would look like. I had already started doing some things on stage, but I absolutely didn’t know what the future held for me. So, having played Weird Al for the last year and also Merrily We Roll Along, I think there has been… playing a character for a long time makes you want to do as many things as possible. So yes, I’m doing them right now.”
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Radcliffe was in five with Roger Bart of Back To The Future: The MusicalJoshua Boone and Sky Lakota-Lynch by The OutsidersBrandon Victor Dixon by Hell’s Kitchen and Steven Skybell of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.
Merrily We Roll Along it marked the actor’s fifth Broadway production and his first Tony nomination. The production also took home the award for best revival of a musical, best leading actor in a musical for Jonathan Groff and the statuette for best orchestration with Jonathan Tunick.
