Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has opened up about his teenage alcohol use, saying that he used to get drunk to cope with the massive fame that came with playing the boy wizard.
In an interview with Off Camera on Tuesday, Radcliffe said there were times in his late teens when he would feel he was being watched — something he admits could've been in his head — and that he didn't know how to properly deal with it at the time.
"In my case, the quickest way to forget about the fact that you're being watched is to get very drunk," he said. "And then as you get very drunk, you become aware that 'Oh, people are watching more now because now I'm getting very drunk, so I should probably drink more to ignore that more.'"
In 2012, Radcliffe told media his nightly drinking sessions caused him to turn up to filming some scenes the next day still drunk.
"I can honestly say I never drank at work on Harry Potter. I went into work still drunk, but I never drank at work," he said at the time. "I can point to many scenes where I'm just gone. Dead behind the eyes."
He stopped drinking alcohol in 2010.
Radcliffe, who defended other child stars who've dealt with fame on a large scale, told Off Camera in Tuesday's interview there is no blueprint for young celebrities trying to make it in the world.
"That's like when people have a go at Justin Bieber and drag racing cars. I'm like, yeah, but ya know, I don't know — stuff could be super crazy for him right now."
The Harry Potter star said it took a few years and couple of attempts for him to break his drinking habit. He credited the people closest to him for helping him through that time.
"Ultimately, it was my own decision," he said. "Like I woke up one morning after a night going like, 'This is probably not good.'"
Radcliffe said he doesn't miss drinking and is a lot happier now.
He made clear that he very much loved the work and never wished that his life turned out differently.
"Even at the lowest point, I still loved my job so much," the actor said. "I loved going to set, and there was never a day where my own [feelings] would affect how I was on set, there was never a point where I was like, 'Oh, I wish this hadn't happened to me, I wish I wasn't Harry Potter.'" he said.
"That just didn't happen."
You can watch Radcliffe's complete interview below.
UPDATE
This post has been updated with Radcliffe's interviews from 2010 and 2012.