He’s spent five weeks roaming around Auckland city in his underwear and animal-foot slippers, and Daniel Radcliffe says he’s definitely coming back to New Zealand – maybe just for the food.
The Hollywood star has been shooting the Kiwi action film Guns Akimbo in Auckland for a little over a month, but leaves tonight to make a pit-stop at home in New York, before production moves to Germany for another five weeks.
Radcliffe, who found fame as a child in the Harry Potter series, has been a regular fixture around Ponsonby and Grey Lynn in Auckland city.
“We’ve been walking around here going my God, this city is so lovely, so pretty, it’s so beautiful and everyone’s like, ‘This is Auckland. We’ve got a lot better to offer’. But this is still good,” he said, just hours before leaving the country.
“I’m 100 per cent coming back here on holiday. My girlfriend came down here for a bit while we were filming as well, and we did a few things quite locally, beaches and things like that, but didn’t really go very far afield.
“I don’t know what Queenstown is, I’ve never heard a place so universally beloved by everyone who’s been there, so we have to come back and go there.”
Radcliffe made himself at home in Auckland; he was spotted working out at the gym and shopping at local supermarkets, as well as filming the Kiwi action film around the city.
“And we’ve been eating at great places – the food in Auckland is fantastic,” he said enthusiastically, singling out the likes of SkyCity restaurants The Grill and Masu as favourites, as well as a local Indian takeaway.
Apart from the food, the 28-year-old says much of his new-found love for New Zealand comes from working with the Guns Akimbo crew, many of whom were busy packing up sets and costumes to send over to Munich for the rest of filming while Radcliffe was busy talking to media.
“It’s been lovely. We’ve been working really hard, but the way I generally get to know a place is through the crew – and the people I’ve got to work with have been amazing. And I’m not saying this just to curry local favour, but they really have been just amazing and working so hard – and working so smart – and figuring stuff out to make this very ambitious action movie possible.”
Realistically though, little is known about the plot of the film, which is the latest from local director Jason Lei Howden, who also made Deathgasm. Much of what is known is being kept under-wraps until closer to the film’s release.
We do know, however, that Radcliffe is playing leading man Miles, an ordinary guy who finds himself forced to fight a gladiator-like battle to save his ex-girlfriend.
The actor says the role was the first time he could really see himself really playing a proper action star.
“I love action movies, but I don’t see myself in them a lot, and I don’t read a lot of action movie scripts where I believe myself as this guy. Whereas this, I completely believe myself as this person and it’s a great chance to do an action film.
“And [this] manages to be a full-on action movie, and a love letter to action movies.”
