Potter says girls are heavenly

IT is nearly nine years since DANIEL RADCLIFFE was selected to play Harry Potter.

After working on six films about the world's most famous wizard - and with two more in the pipeline - the 19-year-old is looking forward to graduating from Hogwarts.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the teenager admits that "overall" he will be happy when Harry Potter is finished.

His sixth appearance as JK ROWLING's creation is in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which opens on July 15.

He said: "Yes, I think there's a part that's excited to be moving on from that and finding different stuff.

"There's also a part of me that will be scared because, in between all the other things I've been doing, I've always had Potter to come back to and there are parts of me that will kind of be sad because it means that they'll be some people, who I love dearly, that I won't be seeing everyday anymore and that will be pretty sad.

"But, overall, I think it'll be a positive thing."

For nearly half of Daniel's life he has been known as Harry Potter.

Much of time has been spent at Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire, where all of the films have been made and which has become a second home.

Daniel, who turns 20 on July 23, has managed to remain level-headed despite the role turning him into Britain's richest teenager.

He has earned an estimated £30m, which means he is worth more than Princes WILLIAM and HARRY.

But Daniel insists that fame and fortune is not helping him to put a spell on girls.

He smiled: "I'm not particularly a Lothario with women at all, really.

"I mean, I love women's company and I love talking to girls - I've always had more friends who are girls than guys because I've always found them more interesting, for obvious reasons.

"I love girls, I really do. They're just sort of heavenly creatures. They're wonderful.

"But I don't know, it's umm... I mean I don't find it hard to talk to girls.

"I'm not one of these guys who freezes up with girls - I like having conversations with them - but I don't think they probably like having conversations with me.

"I'm quite nerdy and geeky and I'm not particularly cool."

Perhaps, it is those big glasses and school uniform that he has to wear in the films.

The new Potter film contains a lot more romance and comedy, which isn't entirely to Daniel's tastes.

He admits: "I prefer doing the darker side of things, for which reason I probably prefer number five in terms of how it was to film.

"But the sixth film, what I think we do very well in it is balance the darkness we had in five with comedy and romance.

"But it's not a Romcom. I don't want people to go there expecting Bridget Jones because there's a lot of darkness in this one as well."

The actor, who has also starred in the film December Boys and TV drama My Boy Jack, says he sometimes feels grown-up - mainly when he is grumpy.

Daniel joked: "The days when I feel grown-up are when I wet shave.

"And the days when I don't are when I use an electric razor.

"No, it's an interesting question this grown-up question because I don't often feel grown-up.

"I guess the days I feel grown-up are when I'm grumpy and the days I feel I'm still young are when I see something that I've never seen before, or learn a fact I didn't know and get excited by it.

"I think I'm quite childish in that way in that I love discovering things and exploring things and finding out something new.

"So, I kind of veer wildly between being kind of 11-years-old and 80.

"Some days I wake up and I'm just in a bad mood, just grumpy.

"I don't take it out on anyone because that would just make me a horrible, vile person."

The star also tried to claim he was lazy.

He said: "I do love being in bed. If I didn't have to get up to do interviews, I'd be in bed right now, trust me."

But he contradicts this answer later on by saying he has a strong work ethic.

Daniel - whose dad ALAN RADCLIFFE is a literary agent and mum MARCIA GRESHAM is a casting director - said: "My parents have always given me a very, very strong work ethic.

"I think hard work is very important in whatever you do.

"I'm lucky enough to have a job where the harder I work, the more I enjoy it."

Many people expected the pressure of success to send the Harry Potter kids off the rails.

But Daniel is determined to prove them wrong.

He said: "They'll want me to develop some sort of heroin addiction and I'm sorry, but I'm not going to. I'm sorry to disappoint them all."

Although, he says he is not concerned by all the press attention.

He commented: "It's quite flattering really, because it's a sign that they think people will want to read about me.

"So, that's quite flattering and it's not damaging."

By the end of the Harry Potter series, with the final book The Deathly Hallows being split into two films, it is predicted that Daniel will have raked in £70m.

The West Londoner, though, insists he is not interested in money and has not even taken a driving lesson yet.

Daniel said: "Money's never going to be the thing that drives me in my life, probably, you could say, because I have it - and that is probably the reality of it - but I think what money does is it gives you manoeuvrability and it gives you room to do things that you really want to do."

He continued: "I haven't bought a car yet - I haven't even had a lesson.

"So I'm going to have to start thinking about that, at some point."

So what does a multi millionaire teen spend his cash on?

He answered: "Mainly books and CDs. I've spent a little bit on artwork - there's a painting by a guy called JIM HODGES called Mary, Dean, Mona and Me and it's wonderful.

"I think it's a beautiful painting and then there's a painting by a guy called CRAIGIE AITCHISON."

The other way that Daniel relaxes is by watching cricket.

He said: "I do love cricket and there is something wonderfully English about cricket.

"It was the game of the nation prior to the 1930s or 40s - that's when football started to get very, very big.

"I adore it and it's a sport that's - there's just something very relaxed about it.

"And, with cricket, the one concept that really doesn't exist in any other sport is the concept of a five day draw - the fact you can watch a game for five days and there'll be no result.

"But the thing is, whatever sport you're interested in, you have to be interested in it with a passion and you have to invest some of yourself in it and you have to be ready to cheer when your team wins and cry when it loses, and all that kind of stuff.

"You have to be really emotional with it, and I am."

Potter fans will be hoping he keeps his passion for the wizarding world long enough to complete the story in style.