Daniel Radcliffe Talks Being Self Conscious, Admits He Used Alcohol As ‘Easiest Way to Escape’

Daniel Radcliffe is opening up about his challenges with being a celebrity and his struggles with alcohol.

In an interview with Playboy magazine for their November issue, Radcliffe revealed he used alcohol to over his self-consciousness. The “Harry Potter” star shared that camera phones are “definitely not his favorite” gadgets since it only adds to him feeling very self-conscious.

“Anytime I’d go out to dance, camera phones would come out,” he explained. “That would make me very self-conscious, and what’s the easiest way to escape being self-conscious? Alcohol is a quick way of doing that.”

Although the actor has shared his alcohol struggles, Radcliffe is still hesitant to divulge more information about issue. “It becomes painful to watch your personal issues that you’ve tried to be sincere about get turned into fodder for TV gossip shows,” he said. “I was forthright about it, as you said, but once you start talking about this, that’s all you talk about.”

This is not the first time that Radcliffe has talked about his past drinking adventures. In a 2012 interview with the Daily Telegraph, he admitted that there were scenes in the movie “Harry Potter” where he was still intoxicated. The actor clarified that he never drank on set, but there were instances when he went to work “still drunk.”

Fortunately, the actor realized that he has developed an addiction to alcohol and has quit drinking since August 2010. "You either have to change something or give into that shame," he told Daily Telegraph.

In the past few years, Radcliffe has been busy focusing roles for low-budget independent films, as well as a role on Broadway show “Equus.” In the actor’s Playboy interview, Radcliffe admitted that he was scared about his role which entailed a lot of nude scenes.

“I was s--- scared and 17 when I did Equus, which is the age when you’re most self-conscious. And I was very aware that a certain percentage of that audience was coming to look at my d--- every night. Looking back, that was mental. I have a lot of respect for myself for having the balls to do it, so to speak.”