Radcliffe: Dad taught me not to whine

Daniel Radcliffe's father used to remind him he didn't work "down a coal mine" when he moaned about his job.

The 24-year-old actor is best-known for playing Harry Potter in the wizard franchise, a role he won when he was just a child. As well as appearing in those movies he's starred in flicks such as The Woman in Black and Kill Your Darlings, so has a lot of experience on shoot. Sometimes they don't go to plan, but Daniel has learnt not to whinge.

"I'd come whine about something that happened on the set and my dad would say, 'You're not down in a coal mine.' It's a very good way of putting things in perspective," he told People magazine.

The star was being interviewed by author A.J. Jacobs, who believes many people in the world are distantly related and has begun work to prove it. So far he's traced 77 million of his own relatives, among them Daniel.

During the chat the actor quizzed the writer on their connection, only to be told he is A.J.'s "first cousin once removed's husband's third great aunt's husband's fourth cousin twice removed's wife's second cousin's brother-in-law's sister-in-law's son-in-law's brother's great-grandson".

The guys agreed to call each other cousins, with the author informing his new-found relative that Daniel also has a connection to other famous people.

"I know you have a crush on Katy Perry. Guess what - you're related. And Albert Einstein and a lot of the British royalty. I'm not British so it doesn't resonate with me," he explained.

Daniel replied: "It doesn't really resonate with me that much either. I'm more excited about Einstein, to be honest."

The actor has been starring in a Broadway production of The Cripple of Inishmaan of late, with the show wrapping on Sunday. To celebrate he was spotted posing with delighted fans, taking time to have pictures taken with them and sign autographs.