Daniel Radcliffe releases tear-jerking statement as Maggie Smith dies

Daniel Radcliffe is mourning the loss of Maggie Smith after her demise.

The actress, who played the role of Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter series, passed away on Friday, leaving her fan base into tears.

Her co-star and one of the franchise lead actors, Daniel has now broken silence on the demise.

Speaking to Variety, he said: “The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job. I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her," Radcliffe recalled. "The other thing I knew about her was that she was a Dame, so the first thing I asked her when we met was ‘would you like me to call you Dame?’ at which she laughed and said something to the effect of ‘don’t be ridiculous!’"

"I remember feeling nervous to meet her and then her putting me immediately at ease," he added. "She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films.”

Radcliffe, 35, added that Smith "was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny."

"I will always consider myself amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her, and to spend time around her on set," he concluded. "The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”