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As the ancient proverb dictates, no international pandemic is complete without an accompanying celebrity hoax.
In the case of our current global crisis, that honor was bestowed uponDaniel Radcliffe.
The tweet was shared hundreds of times before Twitter suspended the account, including by journalists at theNew YorkTimesandPolitico.
They chose Radcliffe because we needed someone who was famous but not famous enough to be unbelievable.
I was interested in hearing more, so I called up Radcliffe and Darke.
Where are you guys holed up?Erin Darke:Were in New York, at Daniels apartment.
We decided to be super-responsible and self-quarantine so we havent stepped out of the apartment in … 11 days?
Radcliffe:We gotta cross that off.
Darke:[Laughs.]
Oh yeah, we gotta check off the 11th day on our prison checklist.
There was something about it that just made me laugh, immediately treating it like a prison film.
But generally speaking, compared to a lot of people, we are very, very much okay.
The London theaters carried a week or so longer than most other plays.
I was like, What?!
Im sure I dont.
I just did a play.
And he said, Yeah, my niece just texted me.
She said, Oh, yeah, that dudes got coronavirus.
It was very much like, Watch yourself.
I dont know if you should work with this guy.
So I was immediately like, quite amused by it.
Its not the first time Ive had something crazy written about me.
Most of it before has been random stuff that British newspapers have said.
So this one was slightly odd.
I was like, What the fuck is happening?
And finally a couple people texted me, Oh, it was a hoax, never mind.
I was like,I think hes okay?[Laughs.]
I was just very confused.
But I spent an evening texting people back, like, I think hes fine!
Radcliffe:Didnt I text you about it, being like, Theres this thing going around?
Darke:[Laughs.]No!
Radcliffe: Oh, sorry.
Darke:You literally only texted me about my retainer.
Radcliffe:I thought Id mentioned that.
I did know about it at that point.
I spent the whole morning just having to tell journalists that I did not have coronavirus.
And it was maybe only a day later that TomHanks said he had it.
At some point, someone will be the first famous person to have it.
And it was like, eight hours later that Tom Hanks came out.
Radcliffe:The original tweet was something like, Daniel Radcliffe becomes the first famous person to get coronavirus.
And I was like,Thats such a weird distinction.
Surely the first person to get coronavirus is the first famous person to get coronavirus.
A good point.Radcliffe:I also wonder if someone would do that now.
I dont think people would be so quick to make something up.
I feel like weve got that point.
Everyone is all too aware of that.
Also, at some point, I might get it!
Darke:Right, thats the thing.
So many people will get it before this is over.
Radcliffe:The actor that cried coronavirus.
What did you say about one of the people in the group who did the hoax?
Darke:One of them thought he was a celestial being.
Radcliffe:I dont know if Id do that.
Thats why Tom Hanks did it, I think.
Radcliffe: Right, right.
Who was the most random person to reach out to both of you?Radcliffe:I dont know!
I dont think there was anyone particularly random.
I was like, I dont have coronavirus!
Darke:That was what was funny.
It wasnt as much random people as it was friends.
I just felt bad for all of our friends who temporarily got very worried.
Radcliffe: Didnt [the New YorkTimess] Maggie Haberman retweet it or something?
Yes.Radcliffe:I feel very sorry for her about that.
And everyone piled on her on the internet.
Sorry, Maggie Haberman.
Darke:And itwasat that tipping point.
Our culture is so celebrity-obsessed that it felt like a weird thing that was about to happen.
It was weird, perfect timing for this bizarre thing.
Erin, I love that you immediately had a sense of humor about it.
Your text back to me was like, Ha!
Darke:Dating a famous person teaches you very quickly that shit is weird sometimes.
People are weird with fame sometimes.
To give a tangential story, butHarry Potterwas massive in Japan.
When I arrived in Japan when I was 12, there were thousands of people at the airport.
They were like, How fucking weird was that.
And thats honestly the most helpful reaction that you might have.
Im glad to hear [Erin reacted] like that.
Darke: Were at the point now where Ive seen my own wedding reported several times.
You do start to dismiss things you read about your partner if youre pretty sure theyre not true.
At first I assumed it was a weird tabloid story rather than a deliberate hoax.
Clearly theyre like, What are the four things we know about these people?
Okay, these are their co-stars, and this is where shes from.
Okay, thats their wedding!
Radcliffe:Ive had a bunch of really weird ones.
And this is all, by the way, not Twitter hoaxes but newspapers.
There was one thing that Id hired former SAS soldiers to walk my dogs.
There was a rumor that Id had a full-sized nude statue of myself made and put in my house.
There was a rumor that I had special beer made for myself from a monastery with Belgian monks.
Wouldnt even work because Id be reading it backwards.
This was my first time getting dragged into a news cycle.
That sounds about right for the tabloid industry.Radcliffe:Im okay with their lack of interest in us.
Darke:Were boring to them.
Ninety percent of the paparazzi photos of us are getting coffee.
Radcliffe:Or getting yoga mats.
Darke:Or going to the grocery store.
Weve been photographed twice waiting for an Uber.
Dan is not the most exciting celebrity.
Radcliffe:Im really not.
Ive bored the paparazzi out of following me.
So I was like Come on, youre not here for me.
Who are you here for?
And he just looked at me and gave this weird creepy smile and went, It doesnt matter.
Other than that, were very left alone.
Darke:you might only sell so many photos of two people waiting for an Uber.
Darke:Also I think its because youre not a dramatic celebrity.
Youre not in the news for crazy shit.
So it feels more believable when theres something dramatic.
Darke:I love that Charlie Sheen is where you went for dramatic.
Radcliffe:My mind went to other places first but I didnt want to say.
Hes someone everyone can agree is dramatic.
]Thats pretty shitty, if it was.
That also makes sense, that it would be somebody who was a part of peoples childhoods.
Its like telling people that Santa has coronavirus.
Well, Im glad neither of you have coronavirus.Darke:For now!
Who the fuck knows?
Radcliffe:Were going to keep isolating and try and stave it off.
Are you going to stay in New York?Darke:I think so.
At this point, I dont really know where wed go.
I also love this city so much, I dont want to leave her when shes down.
So thats what were going to try and do.
Okay guys, stay safe.
Lets grab a drink or a coffee in one year.Darke:Absolutely.
