Daniel Radcliffe has shared his experience of consuming large quantities of alcohol as a means to deal with the pressures of playing Harry Potter.

In a conversation with Off Camera, the actor mentioned feeling observed during his teenage years. Although he acknowledged this sensation could have been imagined, Radcliffe admitted he didn’t know how to handle it at the time.

“For me, the fastest way to forget that I was being watched was to get really drunk,” the 29-year-old explained.

“As I got more intoxicated, I realized, ‘Oh, now people are watching even more because I’m very drunk, so I should probably drink even more to ignore that.'”

Radcliffe continued by empathizing with other child stars who resort to extreme measures to cope with fame, pointing out that there’s no guidebook for young celebrities.

“When people criticize Justin Bieber for drag racing cars, I think, yeah, but his life could be incredibly chaotic right now.”

Radcliffe, who has maintained sobriety since 2010, said he tried to quit drinking multiple times and ultimately succeeded with the support of friends.

“It was ultimately my decision,” he shared. “One morning after a night out, I woke up thinking, ‘This is likely not a good idea.'”

“Even at my lowest, I loved my job so much,” the actor emphasized.

“I enjoyed going to the set, and there was never a day when my personal feelings interfered with my work or made me wish I wasn’t Harry Potter.”

In a 2012 interview, Radcliffe had discussed his drinking habits, admitting that while he never consumed alcohol on set, his addiction was severe enough to impact the filming of Harry Potter.

“I can genuinely say I never drank while working on Harry Potter,” he stated.

“I showed up to work still drunk, but I never drank on set.

There are many scenes where I’m completely checked out, just dead in the eyes.”