Daniel Radcliffe Became Violently Ill After Drinking Antifreeze, ‘Harry Potter’ Star Stuck In Bed For Three Days


Daniel Radcliffe, star of the Harry Potter series, revealed that he became violently ill after poisoning himself while filming the movie adaptation of Joe Hill’s Horns.

Daniel Radcliffe claims he was unaware the water he ingested contained the antifreeze additive until he became violently ill for three days, according to the New York Daily News. He claims he only left his bed to use the bathroom during that time.

The incident occurred on the set of the film Horns. He was thirsty and poured himself a glass of water from the sink, drinking it all down without realizing the water was spiked with antifreeze to prevent the pipes from freezing.

“They don’t want the water to freeze in the pipes in the trailers overnight, they put antifreeze in it. So it’s all non-potable water that comes out of the tap.”

It wasn’t until after he was already feeling the impact of the antifreeze in his system that he was told the water was non-potable and should not have been ingested.

“I did not know that so I drank a full cup, so I guess like half antifreeze,” he remarked.

Daniel Radcliffe Became Violently Ill After Drinking Anti Freeze, Harry Potter Star Stuck In Bed For Three Days
[Image via DeiMosz/Shutterstock]

Radcliffe was okay after he took three days to rest after ingesting the poison. He laughs about the incident now, still not believing that he actually poisoned himself with antifreeze, albeit accidentally. Although something to laugh at now, Radcliffe is extremely lucky the antifreeze did not inflict serious harm to his system, or worse, kill him.

The Victor Frankenstein actor admitted that he thought he had just come down with a sickness that was going around. He was unaware that he drank antifreeze until a couple of weeks later when he poured another full glass of water. His hair and makeup team saw him and stopped him in the process before he took a sip.

“‘What are you doin!? Don’t do that. That’s crazy. You can’t drink that water.'”

Radcliffe was shocked at their response. The cause of his illness became clear instantly, as he concluded that he had actually poisoned himself with a glass of antifreeze. He may be able to laugh at the situation now, but the reality that he could have killed himself by drinking the antifreeze is horrifying. It almost makes the three days of his body violently rejecting the antifreeze worthwhile.

Daniel Radcliffe Drinks AntiFreeze
[Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images]

Daniel Radcliffe claims that he learned his lesson from the experience and will do all he can to stay healthy during a movie shoot and ask questions that may save his life, according to Metro.

“If I’m in a cold country I just ask whether it’s non-potable water.”

Luckily, he was able to recover from the poisoning rather quickly and finish Horns without further issue. He has not made any claims of any mishaps while filming Victor Frankenstein, at least none that he has shared as of yet.

At the time of filming Horns, Radcliffe was 25-years-old and entering the second phase of his career. The Harry Potter star was in the process of reinventing himself after portraying the J.K. Rowling’s creation for many years prior. The cinematic universe is lucky he survived the incident and has learned a lesson from the horrific pain he endured as his body rejected the poisonous antifreeze.

Radcliffe is thankful that the hair and makeup crew warned him about the water, although late, potentially saving his life.

It is unknown whether there were signs posted stating the water was non-potable or if he was simply unaware of what non-potable means.

[Photo via Jason Merritt/Getty Images Entertainment]

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