Daniel Radcliffe Talks Gender Discrimination in Hollywood

Daniel Radcliffe was not shy at all when the topic of gender discrimination in Hollywood popped up in a new interview.

More from Harry Potter

Daniel Radcliffe has always been one to speak his mind, when it comes to social issues. Like Emma Watson, he seems to have soaked up from J.K. Rowling the importance of speaking out for what you believe in and to take a stand against discrimination.

“It is nuts to me,” is his reaction to knowing gender discrimination is still a thing in Hollywood.

“I’m incredibly glad gender equality has come up because I had just f**king naively thought this was not an issue any more because how can this still be happening?” he tells The Daily Telegraph. “What guy is sitting in a studio somewhere thinking let’s f**k the girls out of some money?” (His cursing is only one of many aspects of Radcliffe’s that separates him from the character he grew up playing.)

PARK CITY, UT – JANUARY 22: Daniel Radcliffe attends the ‘Swiss Army Man’ Premiere Party at The Acura Studio at Sundance Film Festival 2016 on January 22, 2016 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Acura)

I’m with Radcliffe on this one, where is the fair playing ground for actresses? It’s 2016, we should be beyond this. Is he only one that realizes this going on or just the only one that is brave enough to bring it to surface?

It’s a good thing that Radcliffe is willing to discuss this openly, both because of his fame from portraying Harry Potter, but because he is a white guy, who could easily ignore the plights of other just because he has an easy ride. Calls for change in Hollywood fall on deaf ears many time, and the more who are willing to speak up the harder it will be for them to ignore. I applaud him for just laying out how he feels, I just hope he doesn’t receive backlash as Emma Watson after her gender equality speech for her role as UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 07: (EMBARGOED FOR PUBLICATION IN UK TABLOID NEWSPAPERS UNTIL 48 HOURS AFTER CREATE DATE AND TIME. MANDATORY CREDIT PHOTO BY DAVE M. BENETT/GETTY IMAGES REQUIRED) Daniel Radcliffe (L) and Emma Watson attend the World Premiere of ‘Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2’ in Trafalgar Square on July 7, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

Radcliffe does end on a note of hope: “I feel like I am starting to see changes, particularly in the type of roles for women.” He feels there plenty of actresses that deserve better parts and equal pay as their male counterparts.

We need more people like Radcliffe and Watson to be more open about equality. Let’s hope that with a new set of movies, Rowling’s legacy can extend to a new cohort of co-stars and close friends to join them in working to change the landscape of gender equality in both society and Hollywood.

Home/Harry Potter