Daniel Radcliffe is tipping his hat (and wand) to the legendary Maggie Smith – and no, not in a Hogwarts duel.
The adored actress, who transformed into the iconic Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies, sadly passed away at the ripe age of 89 on Friday (September 27). But as we know, McGonagall wouldn’t want anyone sulking in their robes – she’d probably transfigure a tissue into a chicken and tell you to get on with it.
Daniel, now a mature 35-year-old (and still no sign of a beard), reflected on working with the Dame long before his Hogwarts acceptance letter arrived.
“The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old, and we were doing a table read for David Copperfield – not the magician, though that would’ve been hilarious. It was my first job, and honestly, the only things I knew about her were that my parents were in total awe of her, and she was called a ‘Dame.’ So naturally, being a very formal 9-year-old, I asked her, ‘Should I call you Dame?’ And she laughed. I’m talking full-on, maybe-I-shouldn’t-have-asked, life-questioning laugh, and told me something like, ‘Don’t be ridiculous.’ From then on, I knew she was the cool adult you’d want at your birthday party,” Daniel shared with Variety.
He continued, likely with a nostalgic twinkle in his eye, “I was petrified to meet her, like ‘Is she going to turn me into a toad?’ level scared. But then she immediately made me feel comfortable. She was absurdly kind during that shoot, and I was lucky enough to keep working with her on Harry Potter for another 10 years. I mean, imagine having Professor McGonagall as your co-worker for a decade? Talk about pressure to behave.”
“She had this wild combination of being terrifyingly brilliant, wielding her wit like a sword, and then in the next breath, making you feel like you’d just spent time with your funniest, coolest aunt. Oh, and the woman was hilarious. Like, ‘I can’t believe she just said that’ funny,” he added, likely reminiscing about some behind-the-scenes one-liners involving toads and time-turners.
Daniel summed up his thoughts with a heartfelt tribute, “I will always consider myself unbelievably lucky to have worked with her and to have soaked up her magic on set. People throw around the word ‘legend’ way too often, but if there’s one person it absolutely fits, it’s her. Thanks for everything, Maggie.”
For those who missed it, Daniel starred alongside Maggie in the BBC’s David Copperfield adaptation back in 1999. No wands, no flying broomsticks – just good old Dickensian drama.
To everyone who knew and loved Maggie, Daniel and the rest of us at Hogwarts (and probably everywhere else on the planet) are sending all the love and magical creature hugs we can muster. She will be deeply missed – but her magic lives on forever.
