Daniel Radcliffe’s Weird Al Yankovic Movie: Everything to Know About the Fake Biopic

Credit: Ron Adar/Shutterstock

Daniel Radcliffe's Weird Al Yankovic Movie: Everything to Know About the Fake Biopic

This wizard is getting weird. Daniel Radcliffe stars as the titular comedian in WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, and the movie will live up to its title. The film is based off a short Al Yankovic made for Funny or Die in 2010, and the star-studded video poked fun at dramatic rock star biopics, exaggerating the comic's life with sex, drugs and emotional breakdowns. The first teaser trailer, released in May 2022, reveals that the movie is set to have a similar tone, with Roku advertising it as “the untold true story” of the "Eat It" singer — as well as his “torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle.” Radcliffe is a big fan of the Grammy Award winner, but the Lost City star revealed in a March 2022 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that he was surprised when Yankovic specifically chose him for the role — despite having never met. “When I talked to Al for the first time, I was like, ‘I’m immensely flattered by the idea that you would pick me to play you, but like, why me? I’m mystified but excited,'” the Harry Potter actor recalled. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVXGgwhO6jc[/embed] He explained that Yankovic saw a November 2010 episode of The Graham Norton Show where Radcliffe perfectly performed every word of Tom Lehrer’s song “The Elements,” which covers the entire periodic table of elements. “I sang ‘The Elements’ next to Colin Farrell and a very bemused Rihanna,” Radcliffe explained. “I guess Al saw that and was like, ‘This guy maybe gets it.’ And so he picked me. So I’m very, very lucky, and now I’ve gotten to have accordion lessons with Al.” The Swiss Army Man star took up the humorist's iconic instrument of choice. "I got lent Al's accordion for the month," he said. "He gave me his own accordion to practice on for the month. On day two of that, I broke one of the straps ... and then immediately got them replaced. Thankfully, he's like the nicest guy." He said while on The View later that month that the movie was "an incredibly fast shoot" for him, with only a few weeks in front of the camera. "It was 18 days, but it was one of the most fun things I have ever done in my life," he explained. "[Al is] just the best. He's the nicest human and he was on set every day so it was just a real pleasure." Yankovic has teased that the Miracle Workers actor gives quite a performance in the flick. "That is a WRAP on Mr. Radcliffe! Wait till you see him in this. He’s even more like me than I am," he shared via Instagram in March. Scroll down to learn more about WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story: [podcast_block]

Credit: Ron Adar/Shutterstock

Daniel Radcliffe's Weird Al Yankovic Movie: Everything to Know About the Fake Biopic

This wizard is getting weird. Daniel Radcliffe stars as the titular comedian in WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story, and the movie will live up to its title. The film is based off a short Al Yankovic made for Funny or Die in 2010, and the star-studded video poked fun at dramatic rock star biopics, exaggerating the comic's life with sex, drugs and emotional breakdowns. The first teaser trailer, released in May 2022, reveals that the movie is set to have a similar tone, with Roku advertising it as “the untold true story” of the "Eat It" singer — as well as his “torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle.” Radcliffe is a big fan of the Grammy Award winner, but the Lost City star revealed in a March 2022 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that he was surprised when Yankovic specifically chose him for the role — despite having never met. “When I talked to Al for the first time, I was like, ‘I’m immensely flattered by the idea that you would pick me to play you, but like, why me? I’m mystified but excited,'” the Harry Potter actor recalled. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVXGgwhO6jc[/embed] He explained that Yankovic saw a November 2010 episode of The Graham Norton Show where Radcliffe perfectly performed every word of Tom Lehrer’s song “The Elements,” which covers the entire periodic table of elements. “I sang ‘The Elements’ next to Colin Farrell and a very bemused Rihanna,” Radcliffe explained. “I guess Al saw that and was like, ‘This guy maybe gets it.’ And so he picked me. So I’m very, very lucky, and now I’ve gotten to have accordion lessons with Al.” The Swiss Army Man star took up the humorist's iconic instrument of choice. "I got lent Al's accordion for the month," he said. "He gave me his own accordion to practice on for the month. On day two of that, I broke one of the straps ... and then immediately got them replaced. Thankfully, he's like the nicest guy." He said while on The View later that month that the movie was "an incredibly fast shoot" for him, with only a few weeks in front of the camera. "It was 18 days, but it was one of the most fun things I have ever done in my life," he explained. "[Al is] just the best. He's the nicest human and he was on set every day so it was just a real pleasure." Yankovic has teased that the Miracle Workers actor gives quite a performance in the flick. "That is a WRAP on Mr. Radcliffe! Wait till you see him in this. He’s even more like me than I am," he shared via Instagram in March. Scroll down to learn more about WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story: [podcast_block]

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When and Where Will 'WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story' Be Released?

The Roku Channel will release the movie for free on November 4. 

Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Who Is In The Cast?

Joining Radcliffe will be Evan Rachel Wood, Julianne Nicholson and Toby Huss.

Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Is 'WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story' a Real Biopic?

It's a real movie the same way that "Like a Surgeon" is a real song. However, it's use of the term "true story" is satire. Don't expect it to be factually accurate to the comic's life.

Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Who Is Directing?

Eric Appel, who co-wrote the film with Yankovic, directs and executive produces. Mike Farah, Joe Farrell, Whitney Hodack, Tim Headington, Lia Buman and Max Silva are among the other producers.

Credit: YouTube

Is that Radcliffe's real hair?

"Fake hair, real mustache," the actor said while on The View. "Anything to avoid fake facial hair on a film."

Credit: Roku

What's the Slogan for the 'Weird' Movie?

The official movie poster was released in August 2022, days ahead of the next trailer. "The world belongs to the weird," the slogan reads.

Credit: The Roku Channel

Who Is Playing Madonna In 'WEIRD: The Al Yankovic Story'?

Wood is in the full "Like a Virgin" era look while portraying the pop icon. In a late August 2022 trailer, she is shown asking Al to parody her hit song before making out with him.

Credit: Ron Adar/Shutterstock

Did Radcliffe Hit the Gym for His Role As Weird Al?

In an interview with GQ in October 2022, Radcliffe revealed that he didn’t purposely get fit for the part, instead he just has an interest in fitness — which led the filmmakers to come up with the idea to highlight his physique for the parody biopic. “It wasn’t a decision so much as they found it funny that that’s how I looked,” the Broadway alum admitted.