The Guardian publiched a list of "inspiring young Britons" under 21 years of age, Dan was one of this young Britons who made the list, and his picture will be be featured at the National Portrait Gallery in London called "Exceptional Youth: Photographs by Emma Hardy." The article quotes Dan as being "one of the faces of Britain's future."
Dan has this to say:
"I'm still not really aware of how big Harry Potter is. When you're in the middle of something, it's hard to be objective. Funny things have happened, though, and I do have to avoid confined spaces such as the underground. Recently we went to the science museum in Valencia. I was really excited to be checking it out, but I hadn't factored in the school parties, who got a little overexcited.
I would hate to be accused of having got through life just by luck - I think you do create your own destiny. My mum and dad believe in fate. I see coincidences, but not a predestined path. If it's just about fate, then you become complacent and expect things to come your way. I like being challenged. Even when you're doing really intense, dramatic scenes that take so much out of you, it's still really fun and energising. Acting makes you feel so alive.
Committing to such a big film project has involved sacrifices. I miss out on some of the more spontaneous moments in life. But I have a great bunch of friends and an amazing relationship with my parents, and I feel lucky to have worked with so much talent. It sounds a bit gushy, I know, but to have performed with the likes of Imelda Staunton, Gary Oldman and Michael Gambon is nothing less than magical."
Also in the Celebrity Influences section of the official site for History Boys,, Dan had something nice to say about two influences in his life:
Dan: "Before I started playing Harry Potter, I attended a London prep school which was not a happy experience. I left it to play Harry with my confidence at rock bottom and belief in my ability at absolute zero. However, on HP I was tutored by an astonishing woman called Lina Wright. Over a period of six years she (with the support of City of London School) has built my confidence and given me a love of learning which I am certain will never leave me. The most amazing thing about her was that she recently taught me at AS.Level subjects such as History and Religion and Philosophy which were not her areas of expertise, her subjects of choice being Maths and Science. The fact that she is a born teacher is, to me, proven by her ability to take on copious amounts of new information, and communicate it to me in a way that made the subjects interesting. Lina and I are very different in what we believe about religion or politics, or any number of subjects, and so debate was ever present in our classroom, meaning that I didn't just take on information in order to churn it out again at a set date, but rather I learnt to organize the information in my mind, know what I truly thought about it, and would then have it challenged by Lina (never afraid to play the devil's advocate). Above all of this however, she has been and will remain a friend who I am privileged to know. It is not an exaggeration to say that she changed my life!"
Is there a book or poem that you read during your own schooldays (or indeed more recently) that has made a particularly strong impact on you?
Dan: "At AS Level I studied the poems of Tony Harrison. At first, I found some of the poems dense and hard to understand but as I got used to his style and learnt more about his background the poems became not just clear but brilliant. My favourite poem of his was called ALLOTMENTS and it was the first poem of his that I really understood. It was exciting and inspirational because it showed me that a poem could be both funny and dark, filthy but not gratuitous and complex yet accessible all at the same time. It's main theme is the youthful sexual exploits of the poet himself around the city of Leeds and how, after being caught by a concentration camp survivor whilst having sex outside an abattoir, he is left in a state of anguish. Tony Harrison works in the dialogue of the camp survivor seamlessly and in a darkly comic way. I love this poem."
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