Daniel Radcliffe has spent the time since the final “Harry Potter” movie, pushing away from the role that made him a household name. Now he’s running from it.
The 24-year-old actor is set to portray four-time British Olympic medalist Sebastian Coe, in the upcoming movie, “Gold,” reports Screen Daily.
The movie focuses on the middle distance runner Coe’s rivalry with Steve Ovett in the years leading to the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. It was there that Coe won the first of two gold medals in the 1500-meter race.
The film, which is set to go into production next spring, unites Radcliff with director James Watkins, with whom he worked on “Woman in Black.”
Since “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” was released in July 2011, Radcliffe has carefully chosen his roles on the stage and big screen in an attempt to make sure he’s not only remembered for playing the boy wizard. In that time he’s portrayed characters ranging from a young lawyer in turn of the century England to legendary poet Allen Ginsberg.
Radcliffe can currently be seen in the indie drama “Kill Your Darlings.”