Daniel Radcliffe Says Finn Wolfhard Gave Him a Heads-Up About ‘SNL’ Harry Potter Spoof

Daniel Radcliffe says Finn Wolfhard gave him a friendly warning before Saturday Night Live aired its recent Harry Potter parody.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Radcliffe shared that he randomly ran into Wolfhard a few weeks before the episode aired. The two chatted briefly, and then Wolfhard sent him a text the day before the show.

“Hey, just so you know, we’re doing a Harry Potter sketch,” Radcliffe recalled Wolfhard telling him.

The sketch, titled “Heated Wizardry,” was a mash-up of the Harry Potter films and the hockey romance drama Heated Rivalry. Wolfhard hosted the NBC comedy show last month and played a version of Radcliffe’s famous wizard character — this time with a romantic twist.

In the parody, Wolfhard’s Harry develops strong feelings for his red-haired best friend Ron Weasley, played by Ben Marshall. Instead of hockey players, the characters are Quidditch teammates at Hogwarts. The sketch pokes fun at the intense romance at the center of Heated Rivalry, which stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as rival hockey players secretly involved in a long-term love affair.

Radcliffe admitted he hasn’t watched Heated Rivalry yet but said he’s well aware of its popularity. “My girlfriend is a huge fan,” he said. After seeing the SNL parody, he described it as “very funny and sweet.”

“I’m sure there are jokes I was missing,” Radcliffe added. “But I’m always happy to see other versions of that. It makes me laugh.”

This isn’t the first time SNL has spoofed the wizarding world. In fact, Radcliffe himself took part in a Harry Potter sketch when he hosted the show in 2012. In “Harry Potter Epilogue,” he played an older Harry who still hadn’t left Hogwarts years after graduating.

Over the years, Radcliffe has spoken openly about being forever linked to the role that made him famous. He said he’s now comfortable with that.

“I have always been fairly fine with being known for Harry Potter,” he said. “I don’t need people to forget that I did that in order to enjoy stuff I’m doing now.”

He admitted that early in his post-Potter career, he felt pressure to prove himself. When he first moved into stage musicals and other projects, he worried people saw him as “the movie kid.” That anxiety has faded with time.

Radcliffe’s next project is the NBC comedy series The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, starring alongside Tracy Morgan. He plays a disgraced filmmaker trying to rebuild his career.

Speaking previously about the role, Radcliffe said his character makes questionable choices and isn’t always easy to like. Still, he promised the character faces consequences.

“There’s probably a couple moments in the series where I would’ve kicked me out of that house,” he said. “But I do get my comeuppance — as I should.”

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins premieres Jan. 18 on NBC.