Daniel Radcliffe Has The Most Relatable Thoughts About Parenting

For folks who grew up watching the "Harry Potter" movies, the fact that the franchise's star Daniel Radcliffe is a dad certainly makes some of us feel old. In April 2023, Radcliffe and his long-term girlfriend Erin Darke welcomed their first child to the world. The actor has been open about what life is like with his baby boy by his side, and his takes on parenting are making us feel seen. 

When given the opportunity to talk about what it's like to be a dad, Radcliffe doesn't hold back from gushing. He gave an interview with Extra when his son was just three months old and called parenting "the literal best thing that's ever happened," adding that he feels "very lucky to be able to have this time with him. It's awesome." 

A few months later, he spoke to E! News and explained that there was one thing, in particular, that he was surprised by when parenting a new baby. "There's no relation to what we need for sleep," he said, noting that babies' sleep schedules are utterly confusing. "The less I sleep, the more I sleep at night. But the less they sleep, the less they sleep! And the more they sleep, the better they sleep! It makes no sense, but it is apparently how they work." While "dad" may be Radcliffe's favorite role to date, it seems that he's not quite as well rested as he was during his days at Hogwarts.

We can all relate to how much more difficult life can be when you haven't gotten enough sleep. According to Daniel Radcliffe, though, it's amazing how the joys of parenthood can make you forget just how sleep-deprived you really are. "The fact that there is a creature in the world that can give you the worst night of your life, and then you wake up in the morning and go over to them and they turn around and smile and you're like, 'I don't care about any of the things you just did.' That's pretty cool," he explained to E! News.

Radcliffe's little one is adorable enough to make sleepless nights feel like small potatoes, but that doesn't mean that the gravity of Radcliffe's job as a parent is lost on him. "It's frankly terrifying to have a human being in the world that I care this much about and that everything he does is going to affect how I feel about my life for the rest of my life," he explained, adding, "So, you know, that's intimidating." In the end, though, despite the often overwhelming feeling of being responsible for another person, Radcliffe is clearly nothing but grateful. According to him, "I couldn't wish to be in a better place."