Daniel Radcliffe Says Kids No Longer Recognize Him as Harry Potter

John Sciulli, Getty Images for Turner
John Sciulli, Getty Images for Turner | John Sciulli, Getty Images for Turner

Take a deep breath. If you're standing, sit down. Relax and find your happy place. Now try your best to stay there while I remind you that the first Harry Potter movie came out in 2001 and the last of the core films was released seven years ago. It's been so long, in fact, that series star Daniel Radcliffe—who made his debut in the role at age 11—will turn 30 next summer.

Apparently that separation of time has caused Radcliffe to lose some of his fame among the younger generation, as ​he discussed on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "I do have a thing sometimes where I meet kids now and their parents will bring them up to me and they'll be like, '​this is Harry Potter' and the kids will be like 'No it's not,'" Radcliffe said.

In the same interview, Radcliffe elaborated on what being a generational icon has meant to him. "It is very strange but also genuinely lovely when somebody comes up and says, '​You were a huge part of my childhood.' For me The Simpsons was a massive thing and the idea that I could occupy a similar place in someone's else life is so crazy and wonderful," he shared.

"I always say I'm incredibly lucky to have got famous with Harry Potter because it is a genuinely beloved thing," he added.

Radcliffe is currently starring in the Broadway production of The Lifespan of a Fact.