Daniel Radcliffe has picked his favorite and least favorite entries in the Harry Potter film franchise.
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The titular star noted that as he's aged, franchise entries from different periods of times have gone from watchable to unwatchable for him.
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Interestingly, his favorite and least favorite picks both came toward the tail end of the eight-film series.
No one likes to play favorites with their children. But if you ask nicely, Daniel Radcliffe is happy to oblige.
TheHarry Potterstar recently weighed in on his favorites, least favorites, and everything in between when it comes to the enduringly popular young adult film franchise.
Radcliffe has noted several times in the past that he is not the biggest fan of rewatching his own work. Especially when it comes toHarry Potter, which he said just in February he was"embarrassed"to catch up with as an adult. But in a new interview for theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast, Radcliffe revealed, "I have more time now for me in the early films."
When he was 18, he explained, "I would cringe watching the earlier films. Now I think the early films are sweet, and now I cringe watching myself when I was 18 or 19."
He speculated that this cringe cycle will continue churning as he ages, but that doesn't mean he isn't up to the task of offering up a subjective ranking of his best and worst of the franchise.
Radcliffe was only nine when production commenced onHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. By the time he wrapped on the franchise's final act,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2, he was 20.
From the vantage point of 2026, as a 36-year-old father with credits far and wide outside theHarry Potterfranchise to his name, Radcliffe was easily able to pick his favorite and least favorite of its entries.
Happy Sad Confusedhost Josh Horowitz paired the first and second films, third and fourth films, and so on in brackets for Radcliffe to choose between, leading to a final showdown between his two top picks. But before he even got there, Radcliffe spilled the beans, crowningDeathly Hallows Part 2as "my favorite of all of them."
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When asked to choose between the fifth film,Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, andHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Radcliffe remarked, "Order of Phoenixfar and away.Half-Blood Princeis probably the bottom of the bracket for me. That's my own stuff. That's not the film."
Ultimately, the bracket-style selections yieldedDeathly Hallows Part 2andHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fireas his top two picks, which he easily ceded toDeathly Hallows Part 2.
"I'm fascinated. I wouldn't have said now if if we — interesting," Radcliffe stammered. "I don't think I knew thatGoblet of Firewould have been my second-favorite film. Although it would have survived if the bracket were different. It would have gone a different way."
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Radcliffe also praisedChamber of Secrets"because I love thebasilisk," and asked for mercy fromPotterfans when choosingGoblet of Fireover the belovedPrisoner of Azkaban.
"I know everyone wants me to sayAzkaban. I know that's how everyone else feels, but I love the stuff I got to do on the fourth movie," he said.
Though Radcliffe's heart seems to be opening to rewatching hisPotterfilms, he shared in March thathe's "delighted"his son can experience the story viaHBO's upcoming seriesadaptation instead. "I feel like watching it with your dad would be less cool. It would take you out of it," he explained."
You can watch Radcliffe's full interview on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast above.
Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly