According to his April 2026 appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast with Josh Horowitz, the actor revealed that “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” sits at the bottom of his personal ranking, though he was quick to make one important distinction.
Why Daniel Radcliffe Put ‘Half-Blood Prince’ Last
When Horowitz asked him to rank the eight “Harry Potter” movies, Radcliffe didn’t hesitate to place the sixth entry at the bottom of his list. “Half-Blood Prince is probably the bottom of the bracket for me,” he admitted, immediately clarifying that his opinion had nothing to do with the picture itself. “And that’s my own stuff. That’s not the film.”
Radcliffe has previously spoken openly about the challenges he faced in his personal life while filming “Half-Blood Prince.” During that period, he has recalled relying heavily on alcohol to cope with the constant public attention that came with global fame, while also worrying about what his future would look like once the “Harry Potter” series came to an end. Although he has acknowledged those struggles, he has also emphasized that they never affected his professionalism or commitment on set.
Released in 2009, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” follows Harry during his sixth year at Hogwarts as he uncovers the mystery behind a Potions textbook once owned by the mysterious Half-Blood Prince while helping Dumbledore investigate Voldemort’s past. The film also deepens the relationships among the central characters and builds toward one of the saga’s most devastating turning points.
Despite Radcliffe’s personal reservations about his own performance, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” was both a critical and commercial success. It earned more than $940 million worldwide and received praise for its darker tone, performances, visual style, and emotional storytelling, along with an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.