Thursday, February 09, 2012

Harry Potter overlooked by Oscars, says Daniel Radcliffe


Harry Potter star expresses disappointment that latest instalment has failed to enchant Academy, saying 'snobbery' has prevented franchise from winning more accolades

Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
'Slightly miffed' … Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, which has only been nominated for an Oscar in technical categories. Photograph: Jaap Buitendijk/AP

According to their star Daniel Radcliffe, the Harry Potter films have been overlooked for next month's Oscars due to snobbery over commercial films.

Speaking to the Radio Times, the 22-year-old actor said he was disappointed by the Academy's failure to honour the final instalment in the fantasy series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The film has only three nominations in technical categories ahead of the ceremony in Los Angeles later this month, contrasting with 11 for Martin Scorsese's 3D children's film Hugo and 10 for black-and-white silent film The Artist.

"I don't think the Oscars like commercial films, or kids' films, unless they're directed by Martin Scorsese," Radcliffe said. "I was watching Hugo the other day and going, 'Why is this nominated and we're not?' I was slightly miffed."
He added: "There's a certain amount of snobbery. It's kind of disheartening. I never thought I'd care. But it would've been nice to have some recognition, just for the hours put in."

Six of the eight Harry Potter films have been nominated for Oscars – all in technical or craft categories – but the series has not yet carried off a single Academy award, despite the $7.7bn (£4.87bn) the series has grossed world wide.

Radcliffe is currently starring in his first post-Potter film, the supernaturally-themed The Woman in Black, which opens in the UK on Friday. The movie has proven a box-office success in the US, where it broke the record for a Hammer film by taking more than $21m (£13m) in its first weekend. Radcliffe admitted to experiencing nerves over the project's success. "I've never experienced this before," he said. "With Potter, you basically knew that people were going to like it."

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