Dan Radcliffe caught the masses off-guard when he signed on to play “Weird Al” Yankovic in the eminent parody singer-songwriter’s creatively liberal biopicWeird: The Al Yankovic Story. But he managed to blindside viewers again when he was perfect for the role. Now, Yankovic has finally revealed what made him swing for the left-field fences with the casting choice.
The story behind the biopic has always been as eccentric as its namesake. From its humble beginnings as a Funny or Die sketch tothe director ofWeird: The Al Yankovic Storyintentionally doing no research, it’s no wonder that the air of absurdity has remained constant throughout its existence. This extends to Radcliffe, who has spent the majority of his career in a delightful haze of surreal honesty regarding which roles he chooses. He’s had guns bolted to his hands and become a multi-purpose corpse, so it’s only fitting he’d continue to maintain the weirdness. But he was also willing to put in the work.
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That attitude is a big reason why Yankovic and the film’s director Eric Appel chose Radcliffe for the title role inWeird. In a recent interview withDeadline, the duo explained their admiration for the actor’s commitment. “He took it very seriously,” said Appel. “And in our first meeting with him when he signed on to do it, which was about two years before it got made, he asked the question at the end of our Zoom call: ‘What kind of accordion should I buy? I’m planning on learning how to play the accordion.'”
As an extension of that, Yankovic even helped Radcliffe learn the instrument forthe hilarious spoof movie. “I gave him some lessons,” Yankovic revealed. “I, in fact, made some instructional videos, like where to have your fingers on the buttons. Like, only five people are going to know what he’s really doing, but he’s actually putting the right buttons on the accordion!” That dedication from them both in a movie where a parody musician goes on aRambo-style rampage against Pablo Escobar is to be commended. It also drives home what a perfect match Radcliffe and Yankovic are.
However, it wasn’t just the actor’s attitude toward learning Yankovic’s signature instrument. Radcliffe’s career is, again, one of honesty. This includes everything fromspeaking out againstHarry Potterauthor J.K. Rowling’s transphobiato choosing only the roles likes, regardless of their clout. “That really impressed us,” said Yankovic of the latter aspect. “He’s made a lot of interesting choices in terms of roles he’s taken on — a lot of weird roles, which made us think he probably would be amenable to our movie.”
It’s certainly difficult to deny that Radcliffe was an inspired choice to play the lead inWeird: The Al Yankovic Story, and knowing why Yankovic made that decision only serves to secure that thought. Here’s hoping both of them continue to enjoy opportunities that let them be their most authentic selves, especially if their most authentic selves remain the best kind of weird.
Weird: The Al Yankovic Storyis available to stream for free on The Roku Channel.
