‘I was like, what?’ Daniel Radcliffe reveals he was stunned after learning of bizarre coronavirus Twitter hoax from a fearful make-up artist as he prepared for the stage
- The Harry Potter star, 30, found himself at the centre of a social media storm after the bogus report was shared via fake BBC account @BBC NewsTonight
- ‘BREAKING: Daniel Radcliffe tests positive for coronavirus,’ the tweet in question read. ‘The actor is said to be the first famous person to be publicly confirmed’
- After the false information spread across the micro-blogging platform, a representative for the British actor simply stated that the claims were ‘not true’
- Radcliffe has since revealed he learned of the hoax while preparing for another performance of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame at the Old Vic
- ‘This was about three weeks ago. I was going into hair and makeup and the make-up artist said to me, “You’ve got coronavirus”‘,’ he recalled
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Daniel Radcliffe admits he was left stunned after reading false claims that he was the first celebrity to test positive for deadly coronavirus COVID-19.
Speaking from self-quarantine to Stephen Colbert’s home edition of The Late Show on Tuesday evening, Radcliffe revealed he was preparing for another performance of Samuel Beckett’s Endgame at the Old Vic when he was delivered the innacurate news.
The Harry Potter star, 30, recalled: ‘This was about three weeks ago. I was going into hair and makeup and the make-up artist said to me, “You’ve got coronavirus”‘. I was like, “What?!”
Surprising news: Daniel Radcliffe admits he was left stunned after reading false claims that he was the first celebrity to test positive for deadly coronavirus COVID-19
‘He had got a text from his niece who apparently just texted him saying, “Oh, yeah, that dude you’re working with, he’s got coronavirus.” Very much like a warning text, being like “you shouldn’t be working with him. You shouldn’t be there at all”‘.
The initial claim stemmed from a tweet posed by a hoax BBC Twitter account, declaring the actor had tested positive for the airborne disease almost a fortnight before it was declared a national emergency in the United Kingdom.
Posted on March 10, it read: ‘BREAKING: Daniel Radcliffe tests positive for coronavirus. The actor is said to be the first famous person to be publicly confirmed.’
Stunned: Speaking from self-quarantine to Stephen Colbert’s home edition of The Late Show on Tuesday evening, Radcliffe revealed he was preparing for another performance of Endgame when he was delivered the innacurate news
Reflecting on the incident, Radcliffe added: ‘I’ve had various weird stories made up about me over the years, but none as topical as this.
‘I kind of laughed it off and then I did a day a press the next day, in which every interview was just me denying that I had coronavirus.’
Looking back at what might have inspired the hoax, he added: ‘I don’t read comments about myself on the internet anymore generally, but when I used to so many of them were like “he’s ill, he has a secret illness he’s not telling anyone about”.
Unexpected: The Harry Potter star, 30, recalled: ‘This was about three weeks ago. I was going into hair and makeup and the make-up artist said to me, “You’ve got coronavirus”‘. I was like, “What?!”
Bogus: The Harry Potter star, 30, found himself at the centre of a social media storm after the bogus report from shared via fake BBC account @BBC NewsTonight on March 10
‘I’m just very pale, so I think there’s that and I think also I’m not on social media, so I’m not on top of it enough to see it and react to it quickly enough to stop it.’
After the false information spread across the micro-blogging platform, a representative for the British actor stated that the claims were ‘not true’ when approached for comment.
While the Twitter account may have seemed legitimate to the untrained eye – the BBC’s official logo was used – some users quickly voiced their suspicions as it only boasted 125 followers. The account has since been suspended.
A reported 2,352 people have lost their lives to coronavirus across the UK, with 29,474 confirmed cases in Britain so far.
Nonplussed: ‘I kind of laughed it off and then I did a day a press the next day, in which every interview was just me denying that I had coronavirus,’ he told Colbert on Tuesday evening