“I Hope This Confuses a Lot of People”: “Weird Al” Yankovic and Daniel Radcliffe Talk Upcoming Biopic

In his post-Potter career, Daniel Radcliffe has made a name for himself as an actor who takes on roles that rock between niche and outlandish. His latest project, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, is a beautiful cross of both traits. Of course, “Weird Al” Yankovic himself isn’t one to shy away from taking that extra step to the wild side.

Yankovic and Daniel discussed their expectations for the new biopic in an interview with the New York Times. The short version? The film’s title speaks for itself, and it will definitely get weird for viewers. Yankovic confirms that’s essentially the point.

We want to lead them down a path and think, [‘]Is this a real biopic? Is this the real story?[‘] The movie starts out pretty normal. Then it progressively goes way off the rails.

The story’s progression isn’t the only awkward part of this film. Fans, and Daniel himself, have commented that he looks nothing like a young version of the parody singer. Comments rolled in after the release of the teaser trailer, and nobody held back. “Am I the only one who thinks that Daniel Radcliffe being cast as Weird Al is bizarre? It looks like a fake biopic,” one person noted. Another agreed, saying, “Weird Al is 6 feet tall. Does Daniel do the entire film standing on a box?” All we have to say is that there seems to be a method to director Eric Appel and Yankovic’s madness because it was all part of the plan to throw viewers for a loop and have a fun time.

Daniel was already a fan of Yankovic’s songs when he was approached with the idea of playing the musician. He told the New York Times that he was “very, very into the idea” even without having a script at first.

Whenever I get a chance to throw myself into something, I will. There was definitely a freedom in the version of Al that is in the script. And it is so insane.

While both Yankovic and Daniel are established household names, we can’t forget about the incredible supporting cast. Evan Rachel Wood (Across the Universe, Westworld) is portraying Madonna, Rainn Wilson (The Office, Super) plays a top hat-wearing Dr. Demento, and Quinta Brunson (A Black Lady Sketch Show, iZombie) is bringing her award-winning talent to the screen as talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will offer fans a vibrant perspective of the man who brought us songs like “Like a Surgeon,” “My Bologna,” “Fat,” and so many more. Plus, we cannot wait to enjoy way more of Daniel getting voiced over by Yankovic. Because that combination of voice and face is a… unique blend, to say the least.

The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8 and will be available for streaming from the Roku Channel on November 4.