Daniel Radcliffe Moves Beyond Potter

"Harry Potter" Star Branches Out With A New Family Drama

(CBS)  After raising eyebrows by doing a nude scene in a London play, Daniel Radcliffe has decided to go beyond "Harry Potter" with the new family drama "December Boys," based on the novel by Michael Noonan.

It's a story of four orphans who leave the confines of their orphanage to vacation by the sea in Australia. A rumor gets out that two residents of the town are hoping to adopt one of them, causing tension as the boys compete for a chance for a real family. Radcliffe plays Maps, the oldest of the group.

"He feels quite parental about them, you know, he wants to look after them and really cares deeply about them," Radcliffe told Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith. "He's quite a quiet character and keeps a lot inside. Doesn't shout around about how he's feeling at all. That's a lot of - he's very fragile. It was quite fun to play him. Whereas with Harry, it's all the plots and the emotion is through the dialogue. With Maps, it isn't. You have to do the same amount of communication without any words."

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Photos: Harry Potter

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Adding further to his emotional baggage, Maps falls in love with a girl he meets while on vacation. The depth his character possesses gave Radcliffe an opportunity stretch his acting muscles.

"I'd been looking to do something between 'Harry Potters' 4 and 5, and this script came along that could shoot in that gap and it was perfect," he said. "I loved the script. The one of the things that made it stand out was the fact the stage directions were written almost like a novel. Normal stage directions are quite formulaic. With this one, they were beautifully - so much care taken with them, they were a joy to read which makes the script stand out instantly."

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Photos: Something "Wicked"

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Radcliffe also enjoyed reading the final "Harry Potter" book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," but there are still two "Harry Potter" movies left to be filmed. He also finished filming a TV movie called "My Boy Jack" in Ireland. All this - and he just turned 18.

With all the money he earned from the "Harry Potter" franchise, one would think Radcliffe would do something lavish to celebrate, but he kept it quite simple.

"I was at a cricket match on my birthday," he said, "and then I went out with some friends and had a party."

[wiccantexan]

The smart thing for him to do now is not ***/whine about being "labeled with Harry Potter," like his female co-star did recently. Just quietly move into other good films, do good work, and enjoy the ride.

[dragonmouse-2009]

I love this kid as Harry Potter. Regardless whatever he decides to do acting wise...I think he''ll still hold a Harry Potter legacy...He did a wonderful job as the character hopefully he''ll be proud of what he leaves behind regardless of the new fame he finds in the future.

I''m sorry to see the series end. It really got a lot of kids really charged about reading.