Poor old-for-his-years Daniel Radcliffe had a lot on his plate when he was 14-year old. While most of us at that age are principally thinking about whether we would get the shift at the under-age disco, the Harry Potter actor was thinking about quitting the franchise that had made him an international star.

Speaking with The Guardian, he revealed that he almost walked away from the role after film number three, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

He said, 'By the third film, I thought, if there's a time to get out, it's now; there's still enough time for another actor to come in and establish himself.'

That's nice of you, teenage millionaire Daniel, to be thinking of the other guy. It really is.

He went on, 'For a while I thought, if I do all of them, will I be able to move on to other stuff or should I start doing other stuff now?'

Stuff like going to school or hooking up with Hermione or Cho?

'And actually there aren't many great parts out there for teenage boys, certainly not as good as Harry Potter,' he pointed out

Oh, stuff like more acting.

He changed his mind when he realised he would miss his castmates. Cute.

So who could have played the little wizard if Daniel had released himself from the Harry shackles?

Here are our top three choices:

1. Nicholas Hoult


Jennifer Lawrence's main man Nick Hoult would have been the same age as Daniel at the time and two years out of playing Marcus in About a Boy a role for which he was critically acclaimed. Nicholas has grown into a fine strapping lad and we think he would have been far more convincing as Older Harry in the last movie.

2. Aaron Taylor-Johnson


The Kick Ass actor could have done a good job we think, he has the right look anyway. He could have brought a little sophistication and sexiness to the role (because we all know he's very mature for his young age) but on the other hand, it's quite disturbing to think of HP as sophisticated or sexy, so maybe not.

3. Haley Joel Osment


Remember those terrible rumours that Steven Spielberg was going to turn Hogwarts into an American High School and hire a gum-chewing, Danny Zuko style Harry (probably)? Haley Joel Osment (he of the Sixth Sense and not much else) was the name thrown about then. If he had joined the franchise when it was already established in its true-to-the-book form he might have been able to do a good English accent, but alas, we'll never know.

Daniel needn't have worried in any case, he has done quite well for himself post-Potter and has a heap of projects in the pipeline. Next up for him is Kill Your Darlings which will hit Irish screens on December 6th. Watch the trailer here.