“The Woman in Black” executive director talks about film and casting Dan Radcliffe

In a new interview, James Watkins, the executive director of the soon-to-be-released film The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe and another ‘Potter’ alumni Ciaran Hinds, who portrayed Aberforth Dumbledore in the finale, talks about the making of the film and casting Dan as the lead role.

When asked: Did you worry at all about casting Daniel Radcliffe as your lead? Were you worried that audiences would have a specific expectation of what the film would be, without having seen it?

“Yeah, of course. Dan is part of this rich legacy and he has those associations. He has good baggage and bad baggage. Some people can’t necessarily see beyond that. But Dan is not Harry Potter. He is associated with the iconic role of Harry Potter. But let’s look at Dan afresh. He doesn’t look anything like Harry Potter, and he doesn’t act like Harry Potter. He’s playing a different role. Sure, there will be some people who I’m sure won’t be able to get over that, but honestly there is nothing you can do about people like that. What is really reassuring is that people see it in good faith and they are hugely impressed by Dan and his performance. I think he did a wonderful job. You can spend your life second-guessing these kinds of things, but when I told Dan about the role, where I wanted to take it, what I wanted him to do, the challenges, and how hard it was going to be, he was absolutely up for it. I thnk we kept that promise.

The Woman in Black will have its World Premiere on January 24 in London, and a Premiere in Toronto on January 26. The film will be released in theaters on February 10. Click here to learn how you can win tickets to see the film at the Premiere in London.