The Tony Award winner previously played the parody singer in his 2022 biopic
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NEED TO KNOW
- Daniel Radcliffe praised “Weird Al” Yankovic’s new musical stage project, telling PEOPLE he’s excited to see it
- Radcliffe speculated the musical will parody jukebox musicals while also being a great one itself
- Producers announced Dare to Be Stupid will feature Yankovic’s songs and an original story co-written by him
Yes, Daniel Radcliffe is fully aware of “Weird Al” Yankovic's plans to head to the stage.
The 36-year-old Tony Award-winning actor, who played Yankovic in the 2022 comedy biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, spoke with PEOPLE about the news that the 66-year-old comedy musician is featuring his music in the new musical Dare to Be Stupid.
Radcliffe, who is nominated for a 2026 Tony Award for his run in the play Every Brilliant Thing, reacted to the news of Yankovic's foray into theater.
“Look, hey, I'm open to all ideas and I would love to…” Radcliffe tells PEOPLE, before trailing off.
Radcliffe, who has spent a lot of time with the “Polka Face” singer, shares, “First of all, I'm so glad that he is doing that. He loves theater. He's come seen me in both Merrily [We Roll Along] and [Every Brilliant Thing]. And he saw the Gutenberg! [The Musical!]. He sees a lot of shows.”
Credit: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic
As for what the Harry Potter star is picturing when it comes to this new project from Yankovic, he has some ideas.
“I'm imagining that what it will be is then a parody of jukebox musicals that also functions as a great jukebox musical,” Radcliffe says. “I'm imagining that's what it's gonna be, and that will be brilliant.”
The British actor stayed tight-lipped about whether he'd be playing another version of Yankovic in the production, but did share, “Look, if I'm not in it, I'll be there opening night for sure.”
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Producers announced in mid-May that Dare to Be Stupid: The Weird Al Musical is currently in development, featuring songs from Yankovic's decades-spanning catalog and an original story co-written by the Grammy winner alongside Scott Brown and Anthony King. Tony Award winner Alex Timbers is attached to direct.
“Ever since I was a middle-aged man, I've always wanted to be a part of the New York theatre community,” Yankovic joked in a statement announcing the project. “Plus, the one thing people always say about Broadway is that it's ‘severely lacking in Weird Al-based entertainment,' and I think this musical should fix that problem immediately.”
Back in 2022, Radcliffe was honored to portray the musical satirist, telling PEOPLE, "Wearing the Hawaiian shirt is a huge responsibility that I don't take lightly, and I'm honored to finally share with the world the absolutely 100 percent unassailably true story of Weird Al's depraved and scandalous life."
At the time, Yankovic said he was “absolutely thrilled” to have Radcliffe playing him, joking, "I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for."
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story received eight Emmy nominations, including one for Radcliffe's performance.
The 2026 Tony Awards will take place at Radio City Music Hall on Sunday, June 7. The show will be broadcast live to both coasts on CBS beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and will stream on Paramount+.
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