Daniel Radcliffe: Harry Potter’s Glasses Were a ‘Fashion Statement’
In promotion for his new rom-com “What If,’’ Daniel Radcliffe participated in a Vogue webcast where he was subjected to a rapid fire 73-question quiz about— well, all kinds of things. From his favorite movie of all-time (“Twelve Angry Men’’) to whether he prefers American or European football (American), Vogue (and a few cohorts) covered many corners of the Radcliffe’s personal preference profile, before finally acknowledging what we were all thinking: So, you’re not really Harry Potter?
When asked to share something about famed boy wizard that no one else knows, Radcliffe revealed that Potter “didn’t really need glasses.’’
“That was just a fashion statement,’’ he said.
But… but… THIS CAN’T BE TRUE! Harry Potter needed those glasses. He needed them to see!
Vogue didn’t offer Radcliffe an opportunity to expand on his statement — rapid fire, like we said — but we did a bit of digging for further clarification, and the results are even more confusing.
During a 2005 press conference with J.K. Rowling and teen and pre-teen “cub reporters’’ for ITV, the author responded to a question regarding Potter’s need for specs, clarifying the matter once and for all:
Because I had glasses all through my childhood, and I was sick and tired of the person in the books who wore the glasses was always the brainy one and it really irritated me and I wanted to read about a hero wearing glasses.
It also has a symbolic function, Harry is the eyes on to the books in the sense that it is always Harry’s point of view, so there was also that, you know, facet of him wearing glasses.
h/t ABC News
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