Daniel Radcliffe reveals the true passion of Michael Gambon beyond acting
Members of the Harry Potter cast, including Daniel Radcliffe and Ruper Grint, have paid tribute to the legendary actor behind Professor Dumbledor, Michael Gambon. The Irish-English actor died in hospital on Thursday, September 28th, following a bout of pneumonia.
Amidst a torrent of tribute and familial support from his fellow actors on social media, Radcliffe issued a statement to the press last week. “With the loss of Michael Gambon, the world just became considerably less fun. Michael Gambon was one of the most brilliant, effortless actors I’ve ever had the privilege of working with, but despite his immense talent, the thing I will remember most about him is how much fun he had doing his job.”
“He was silly, irreverent and hilarious,” he added. “He loved his job but never seemed defined by it. He was an incredible story and joketeller, and his habit of blurring the lines of fact and fiction when talking to journalists meant that he was also one of the most entertaining people with whom you could ever wish to do a press junket”.
Radcliffe continued: “The sixth film was where I got to spend the most time working with Michael, and he made the hours spent in front of a green screen together more memorable and joyous than they had any right to be,” the Harry Potter actor added. “I’m so sad to hear he has passed, but I am so grateful for the fact that I am one of the lucky people who got to work with him.”
On Monday, the actor, now 34, joined some of his fellow theatre stars at Variety’s annual Business of Broadway Breakfast event. Hosted by City National Bank, the event boasted discussions with Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, who discussed their lauded Off-Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along.
During his interview, Radcliffe revealed that he and Gambon never discussed their shared passion for theatre. “The wonderful thing about Michael is that he wasn’t an actor you talked about acting with,” Radcliffe said of Gambon. “His true passion was restoring 19th-century Italian duelling pistols.”
Radcliffe opined that this was all part of Gambon’s approach to acting. He recalled the legendary actor joking about with the child actors right up to the word “Action.”
“He knows he’s at his best when he’s at his most playful,” Radcliffe said. “His ability to switch on was second to none.”
Watch one of Michael Gambon’s famous on-set pranks below.
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