Daniel Radcliffe Says Erin Darke, Son Are ‘The Best Thing’ During Acceptance Speech For 1st Tony Award
Daniel Radcliffe, yer a Tony Award winner!
Radcliffe, 34, won his first Tony Award on Sunday, June 16, for his role of Charlie in the revival of Merrily We Roll Along. While the trophy was mind-blowing to receive, Radcliffe revealed his partner, Erin Darke, and their infant son, 15 months, charts higher in the actor’s life.
“My love, Erin, you and our son are the best thing that has ever happened to me,” the Harry Potter star gushed in his acceptance speech, after walking the red carpet in a custom lilac Todd Snyder suit with Darke, 39, on his arm. “I love you so much. Thank you so much.”
Radcliffe also thanked his parents, who also attended the ceremony held at New York City’s David H. Koch Theater. (Skylar Astin hosted the American Express “Broadway Fanfare” simulcast just outside Lincoln Center.)
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“My mum and dad are here somewhere,” the British actor quipped. “Happy Father’s Day, Dad. I love you both so much [and] thank you both for playing Sondheim in the car and just, you know, loving me.”
Radcliffe was nominated against Roger Bart (Back To The Future: The Musical), Joshua Boone (The Outsiders), Brandon Victor Dixon (Hell’s Kitchen), Sky Lakota-Lynch (The Outsiders) and Steven Skybell (Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club). His fellow nominees all applauded Radcliffe’s win, but Jonathan Groff had, by far, the sweetest reaction.
Groff, 39, who costars with Radcliffe in Merrily alongside Lindsay Mendez, burst into tears when his pal took the David H. Koch stage and accepted the trophy.
Radcliffe also noted in his speech that he was “trying not to cry” at the honor.
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“Thank you to the Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing for this unbelievable honor,” he continued, shouting out the production’s creative team and late scribe Stephen Sondheim. “This has been one of the best experiences of my life. Thank you for thinking of me [for this part]. It’s been unbelievable.”
Radcliffe continued, “Thank you so much to our cast [and] everybody on that stage. It is an honor to be on stage with you every single night and I will miss it so much. Speaking of missing things, Jonathan [and] Lindsay], I will miss you so much. I don’t really have to act in this show, I just have to look at you and feel everything I want to feel. I will never have it this good again.”
Radcliffe, Groff and Mendez, 41, play three old friends in Merrily, which is also the name of the song that they performed on the Tonys stage. Groff and Mendez also received Tony nominations on Sunday for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical and Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, respectively. Mendez ultimately lost her category to Hell’s Kitchen star Kecia Lewis while Groff won.
