It was my favourite sketch on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, hosted by Daniel Radcliffe. If you’ve been reading my column for a while, this is probably no surprise. One of the running themes is the abuse of Special . You are seeing the consequences of that all over young Hollywood and reality tv right now.
Do you think they were holding this one back, waiting for the right host to do it? I think it was perfect for Daniel Radcliffe. Daniel Radcliffe who, despite this level of fame, still manages to hang on to a sense of realism about himself and his limitations. Money, certainly, gives one the freedom to do that, to be patient, to not have to grow desperate. But I think we’ve seen often enough that money is not enough. Money, in fact, is more likely to work in the opposite direction, fuelling absurd ambitions, fertilising the monster of entitlement, nurturing the Special so that suddenly, there’s Daniel Radcliffe, post Potter, trying to be Brad Pitt. As IF, right? But you’d be surprised how many Daniel Radcliffes there are out there trying to be Brad Pitt. American Idol is debuting this week, have you heard?
“I tried, and therefore no one should criticise me.”
No failing is making people losers.
And that didn’t happen to the real Daniel Radcliffe. Which is why he can actually perform in a sketch like this and not appear ridiculous. As for the rest of the show - I won’t say it was one of the strongest, but I will say he made it better by his enthusiasm and his willingness. I also loved him as a yorkie. A generous performer makes all the difference.
Attached - Daniel announcing the BAFTA nominations this morning in London.
