Harry Potter director David Yates, who helmed four films in the main saga, addresses the interesting trajectory of Daniel Radcliffe’s acting career since the franchise ended. Based on the beloved novels by controversial author J.K. Rowling, director Chris Columbus brought the franchise to life in live-action for the first time in 2001. Proving a massive success, the story of Radcliffe Harry, Rupert Grint’s Ron, and Emma Watson’s Hermione would continue across seven sequels, culminating with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011.

Now, as the wait continues for updates on the Harry Potter TV show, Yates shares his thoughts on Radcliffe’s post-Wizarding World career in a recent interview with Looper. The actor has since focused mostly on smaller projects, and Yates has nothing but praise for his former collaborator. Check out the director’s full comment below:

“Dan is fearless, and I’ve admired what he’s been doing. He’ll dive into any number of different roles to redefine himself. It’s admirable that he keeps trucking, and he’s done particularly well recently. So all strength to Dan, and I hope he keeps going. I’m sure he will.”

Daniel Radcliffe’s Post-Harry Potter Career Explained

How Radcliffe Forged His Own Path After Deathly Hallows – Part 2

For a time, Harry Potter seemed like the biggest and most popular franchise in the world, and Radcliffe was at the very center of it. Since Harry’s story ended in 2011, however, the actor has focused his career almost solely on interesting, adventurous, and sometimes unusual parts in smaller, non-franchise films. This is seemingly a conscious effort on Radcliffe’s part, with the actor having been open about wanting to move on from the Wizarding World franchise in order to challenge himself as a performer.

One of the actor’s first projects after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 was 2012’s The Woman in Black, Radcliffe’s first horror movie and a box office success. Following this, Radcliffe would appear in Kill Your Darlings and Horns in 2013, the latter of which served as an indication of just how wild the actor was looking to get with his career. His clear interest in unusual roles comes to a head in 2016 with Swiss Army Man, a movie in which he plays a talking (and flatulent) corpse.

Also in 2016, however, Radcliffe would pivot to very serious subject matter, taking on the role of an FBI agent going undercover as a neo-Nazi. The actor would continue to defy career categorization with movies like Guns Akimbo and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. Actors who rocket to fame due to wildly successful franchises sometimes struggle in their careers after these franchises end, but Radcliffe has successfully managed to blaze a unique path after Harry Potter, establishing himself as a talented actor across a variety of genres.