Radcliffe confessed to being “fascinated” by his own picks, which both tended toward the latter half of the fantasy film franchise.

Daniel Radcliffe reveals his picks for best and worst *Harry Potter *films

Radcliffe confessed to being "fascinated" by his own picks, which both tended toward the latter half of the fantasy film franchise.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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April 19, 2026 8:34 p.m. ET

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Daniel Radcliffe starred as the titular wizard in the Harry Potter film franchise. Credit:

Murray Close/ Getty;Warner Bros

- Daniel Radcliffe has picked his favorite and least favorite entries in the *Harry Potter *film franchise.

- The titular star noted that as he's aged, franchise entries from different periods of times have gone from watchable to unwatchable for him.

- Interestingly, his favorite and least favorite picks both came toward the tail end of the eight-film series.

No one likes to play favorites with their children. But if you ask nicely, Daniel Radcliffe is happy to oblige.

The *Harry Potter* star recently weighed in on his favorites, least favorites, and everything in between when it comes to the enduringly popular young adult film franchise.

Radcliffe has noted several times in the past that he is not the biggest fan of rewatching his own work. Especially when it comes to *Harry Potter*, which he said just in February he was "embarrassed" to catch up with as an adult. But in a new interview for the *Happy Sad Confused *podcast, Radcliffe revealed, "I have more time now for me in the early films."

When he was 18, he explained, "I would cringe watching the earlier films. Now I think the early films are sweet, and now I cringe watching myself when I was 18 or 19."

He speculated that this cringe cycle will continue churning as he ages, but that doesn't mean he isn't up to the task of offering up a subjective ranking of his best and worst of the franchise.

'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' (2001) stars Daniel Radcliffe, Ruper Grint, and Emma Watson.

Peter Mountain/Warner Bros.

Radcliffe was only nine when production commenced on *Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone*. By the time he wrapped on the franchise's final act, *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2*, he was 20.

From the vantage point of 2026, as a 36-year-old father with credits far and wide outside the *Harry Potter *franchise to his name, Radcliffe was easily able to pick his favorite and least favorite of its entries.

*Happy Sad Confused *host Josh Horowitz paired the first and second films, third and fourth films, and so on in brackets for Radcliffe to choose between, leading to a final showdown between his two top picks. But before he even got there, Radcliffe spilled the beans, crowning *Deathly Hallows Part 2* as "my favorite of all of them."

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When asked to choose between the fifth film, *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, and *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*, Radcliffe remarked, "*Order of Phoenix* far and away. *Half-Blood Prince* is probably the bottom of the bracket for me. That's my own stuff. That's not the film."

Ultimately, the bracket-style selections yielded *Deathly Hallows Part 2 *and *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire *as his top two picks, which he easily ceded to *Deathly Hallows Part 2*.

"I'm fascinated. I wouldn't have said now if if we — interesting," Radcliffe stammered. "I don't think I knew that *Goblet of Fire* would have been my second-favorite film. Although it would have survived if the bracket were different. It would have gone a different way."

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Radcliffe also praised *Chamber of Secrets *"because I love the basilisk," and asked for mercy from *Potter *fans when choosing *Goblet of Fire *over the beloved *Prisoner of Azkaban*.

"I know everyone wants me to say *Azkaban*. I know that's how everyone else feels, but I love the stuff I got to do on the fourth movie," he said.

Though Radcliffe's heart seems to be opening to rewatching his *Potter *films, he shared in March that he's "delighted" his son can experience the story via HBO's upcoming series adaptation instead. "I feel like watching it with your dad would be less cool. It would take you out of it," he explained."

You can watch Radcliffe's full interview on the *Happy Sad Confused *podcast above.

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