Daniel Radcliffe’s word wizardry has spawned some of the internet’s most ridiculous viral videos. His cover of Tom Lehrer’s “Elements Song,” rapped from the sofas of The Graham Norton Show, has surpassed 8.7M views since 2010; a ridiculous challenge to list every element of the periodic table at tongue-twister speed.
Four years later, Daniel’s hilarious appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon saw him double down on his mind-boggling party trick, this time rapping Blackalicious’ nonsensical “Alphabet Aerobics” in a moment that’s gone viral with over 120M views to date!
Daniel (aged 25 at the time), took to the stage with Jimmy Fallon’s in-house band, mic in hand while Fallon himself stood behind him, holding up a stack of cards each painted with a letter from ‘A’ through to ‘Z’. The rap kicked off and Daniel, who landed his first acting role when he was 10 years old, spouted a perfect American accent comparable to rap overlord, Eminem; hilariously natural and fiery in attitude.
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Each verse of “Alphabet Aerobics” obsesses over a different letter, from “Artificial amateurs aren’t at all amazing / Analytically, I assault, animate things,” to the closing verse, “Zig-Zag zombies, zooming to the zenith / Zero in, Zen thoughts, overzealous rhyme / Zealots!” As if the lyrics weren’t intense enough, the beat speeds incrementally with every new letter in a ploy to stumble its performer. Yet, Daniel Radcliffe’s one-take rendition is absurdly flawless.
While giving an unexpected glimpse into the incredible memory of the world-class actor once named Britain’s richest teenager, Daniel’s appearance on Jimmy Fallon sheds new light on what led him to learn and recite such monstrous feats of word wizardry by heart. He told Fallon, “I’m a big rap fan, which surprises a lot of people about me. Initially I got into Eminem and was obsessed with, like, learning – I think I was the first kid in my class to learn all the words of “The Real Slim Shady” […] I’ve always had kind of an obsession with memorising complicated, lyrically intricate and fast songs, I guess,” adding, “It’s a disease.”
Born in West London, England, Daniel Radcliffe’s lead role in the Harry Potter franchise made him a globally renowned star, despite opting for obscure and left-field acting endeavors post-Potter. Also dabbling in voice acting and theatre productions, Daniel’s swept up 21 awards and 69 additional nominations over the course of his 25-year long career. In April 2023, Daniel and long-term partner Erin Darke welcomed their first child together.