Danielle Radcliffe Pays Tribute to ‘Extremely Funny’ Maggie Smith in Statement

Daniel Radcliffe paid tribute to Maggie Smith following her death on Friday, praising the legendary actress whom he worked with for years.

In a statement (via Variety), Radcliffe reflected on meeting Smith when he was just a child at nine-years-old. He recalled how kind Smith was, and praised their time together on the Harry Potter films, saying how “amazingly lucky” he was to have been able to work with her.

“The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for ‘David Copperfield,’ which was my first job. I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her,” Radcliffe said. “The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘don’t be ridiculous!’ I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease. She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the ‘Harry Potter’ films.”

“She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny,” continued Radcliffe. “I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set. The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”

Radcliffe and Smith’s working career spans over a decade

Radcliffe and Smith worked together for over a decade on every Harry Potter film. Prior to that, Radcliffe and Smith also worked together on the two-part BBC television adaptation of David Copperfield, which as Radcliffe mentioned, was his first role as an actor.

Smith passed away at the age of 89, in a statement from her sons. Throughout her career, Smith won Academy Awards for Best Actress for her role in 1969’s The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Best Supporting Actress for 1978’s California Suite. She was also nominated for her performances in 1965’s Othello, 1972’s Travels with My Aunt, 1986’s A Room with a View, and 2001’s Gosford Park.