Daniel Radcliffe borrowed 'Weird Al' Yankovic's accordion and immediately broke it

He didn't get fired from the biopic, don't worry.
 By 
Adam Rosenberg
 on 
Someone holding a photo of a smiling Daniel Radcliffe posing next to an accordion that belongs to "Weird Al" Yankovic.
Watch Next

They say "never meet your heroes" because reality never really lives up to what we picture in our heads, but "you might break one of said hero's prized possessions" seems pretty scary, too.

Daniel Radcliffe lived that exact nightmare recently as he prepped to play the lead role in an upcoming "Weird Al" Yankovic biopic. After sharing the story of how he got cast during a Friday appearance on The Tonight Show, host Jimmy Fallon held up a picture of the Miracle Workers star posing proudly with one of Yankovic's accordions.

Upon seeing the picture, Radcliffe launched into a story about how Yankovic lent him the pictured accordion to practice on as part of his prep for the role. He got to spend a month noodling with the instrument and getting a feel for it, but that blessed month almost went flying off the rails right at the start.

"On day two [of having the accordion] I broke one of the straps," Radcliffe explained, eliciting immediate groans of worry and concern from the audience. "Yes," the game Radcliffe deadpanned in response. "That's how I felt."

Fortunately, it wasn't a big deal at all. Radcliffe "immediately" replaced the straps and all was well in the end, thanks in part to Yankovic being who he is. "Thankfully, he's like the nicest guy," Radcliffe said. "If he was furious about it, he kept it to himself."

Weird: The Weird Al Yankovic story was announced earlier in 2022 as a Roku-exclusive release. There's no release date yet, but the movie is already in production. Watch the rest of the Tonight clip to hear Radcliffe recount exactly how Yankovic ended up casting him in the lead role.

Mashable Image
Adam Rosenberg

Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.


Latest Videos

Stephen Colbert reacts to the Artemis II moon mission
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, gesturing.


'The Daily Show' reacts to judge halting Trump's White House ballroom
Desi Lydic presents "The Daily Show" beside an image of Donald Trump.


A24's 'Mother Mary' trailer is worth it for the FKA twigs track
Anne Hathway is dressed in a red pop star outfit with religious overtones in a film still from "Mother Mary."

Jon Stewart has a brutal reaction to Trump waffling about pens
A man in a suit sitting behind a talk show desk looks angry. In the top left is an image of the president holding up a pen.

Stephen Colbert gleefully recaps the best signs at the 'No Kings' protest
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, smiling. The caption at the bottom reads, "I like that one."

Riz Ahmed is troublingly intense in new 'SNL UK' promo
A close-up of a man grinning in a slightly creepy way.


The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!