Producers discovered Radcliffe in a movie theater.
When producers found him, Daniel Radcliffe had been in acting classes since he was a kid, but his parents were resistant to him taking a career as a child actor. They knew too well what happened to child actors over time. The role of Harry Potter would for sure take a toll, one they hadn’t even considered. Then producers spotted Radcliffe and urged them to let him audition. The rest is history.