‘The Boy Who Lived’ stars in horror film

“The Woman in Black,” distributed by CBS Films, was released on Feb. 3. Here, we offer you a special preview of the film with a feature on its central actor, “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe.

By Lavi Ben-Dor, Convergence Editor

Although he was talking to a convention of high school journalists, actor Daniel Radcliffe could not help but laugh at their excitement when his face came onto the screen.

Radcliffe, who has played the titular character in the “Harry Potter” films over the past ten years, held a press conference via satellite at the National Scholastic Press Association convention to promote his new movie, “The Woman in Black,” which was released on Feb. 3. In the film, Radcliffe stars as Arthur Kipps, a young solicitor sent to handle an estate in northern England but discovers a ghost seeking revenge for the loss of her son.

Radcliffe discussed his experiences preparing for the film, as at the same time, he was working on the Broadway musical, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.” He said working on a horror film and a musical at the same time was a memorable experience.

“It’s one of those moments where, as an actor, you have to celebrate the situation that you’re in, because having two such different, two such exciting jobs to juggle at the same time is a blessing and something every actor is very grateful for,” Radcliffe said.

The 22-year-old actor mentioned the challenge of getting into the mindset of his character, as playing someone suffering from depression struck a contrast with his usually upbeat personality.

“I have very high energy, so to play a character that has such low energy–his life has been taken out of him by the circumstances of his life, and so he’s kind of in a state of depression, which leads to a sense of fatigue–[was difficult,]“ he said.

"The Woman in Black" is currently showing in theaters. Courtesy Maura Morton.

He also shared his experiences on set, mentioning that although he does not believe in ghosts, he is beginning to wish he did. Radcliffe said a rather startling moment had been when he had been walking around the set and had seen “The Woman in Black” out of the corner of his eye before realizing it was Liz White, the actress playing the ghost, in her costume.

Although his “Potter” role featured a teenager who faced frightening characters or situations throughout the films, Radcliffe said he was glad to see that his character’s fear in “The Woman in Black” does not resemble that of Harry Potter.

“I spent a lot of time looking quite frightened as Harry, but I was relieved to find that I look very different,” Radcliffe said.

He said that the film is a major shift from the “Potter” movies in respect to the overall mood and requirements for his role.

“I think this film is the darkest movie I’ve been involved with. It’s an hour and a half of keeping the audience in a state of tension for the whole time,” Radcliffe said. “This is the least verbal part I’ve ever had. There’s about 20 minutes in this film with no dialogue and it’s just me walking around this house. I have to say, it’s the most compelling, exciting 20 minutes of the film.”

Lavi Ben-Dor can be reached at lbendor@stoganews.com.