Daniel Radcliffe became emotional as he won his first Tony Award for the Broadway musical ‘Merrily We Roll Along.’ The actor won Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Charley Kringas.
Visibly moved, Radcliffe started his acceptance speech by promising to speak quickly and avoid tears. ‘I’m going to talk fast and try not to cry,’ he said, addressing the audience at the David H. Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
As Radcliffe spoke, the camera cut to his co-star Jonathan Groff, who was also tearing up.
Radcliffe expressed his gratitude and said, ‘Thank you so much to our cast, everybody on that stage. It is an honour to be on stage with you every single night, and I will miss it so much.’
Daniel Radcliffe also thanked his co-stars Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, expressing his admiration for them and his sadness at no longer working with them. ‘I don’t really have to act in this show, I just have to look at you and feel everything I want to feel. I will never have it this good again,’ he added.
Radcliffe paid tribute to his father and his parents on Father’s Day, saying, ‘I love you both so much. Thank you for playing in the car and, you know, loving me.’
He also expressed deep affection for his significant other, Erin Darke, and their son, saying, ‘My love, Erin, you and our son are the best that has ever happened to me. I love you so much. Thank you so much.’
Daniel Radcliffe is primarily known for his iconic portrayal of Harry Potter in all eight films of the series. However, he has made daring career choices, transitioning from a child star to a respected adult actor on both stage and screen. This Tony Award is Radcliffe’s first win and nomination for his performance in a Broadway production, despite his consistent acclaim in earlier roles.
Reflecting on his career, Radcliffe shared backstage, ‘When I finished the Harry Potter series, I had no idea what my career was going to be. I didn’t know what the future holds. So I played Weird Al (Al Yankovic) and also did Merrily We Roll Along which were very different. I played Harry for a long time and it builds on you, so I am doing as many things as I possible can.’
Daniel Radcliffe’s star power has played a crucial role in the success of this revival, transforming the perception of ‘Merrily We Roll Along,’ which initially flopped in its 1981 production. He has been part of this production since its Off-Broadway run at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2022, retaining the same role and co-stars. The Broadway iteration premiered last October and is scheduled to conclude on July 7.
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