Daniel Radcliffe scored his 'Weird Al' Yankovic role after singing about the periodic table in front of Rihanna
- Daniel Radcliffe appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" on Friday.
- Radcliffe spoke about playing the main character in "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story."
Daniel Radcliffe said she snagged the lead role in the "Weird Al" Yankovic biopic by singing about the periodic table next to Colin Farrell and Rihanna.
On Friday, the "Lost City" actor appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and shared details about being cast as the titular character in the upcoming Roku flick. Radcliffe, 32, told Fallon about the first time he met Yankovic.
"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?'" Radcliffe said. "I'm mystified but excited."
Radcliffe explained that he appeared on the Graham Norton show in November 2010 alongside Colin Farrell and Rihanna. During the interview, he sang humorist Tom Lehrer's song "The Elements," which lists all the elements on the periodic table.
"I sang 'The Elements' next to Colin Farrell and a very amused Rihanna," Radcliffe said. "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."
Representatives for Radcliffe did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
"Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" will cover "every facet of Yankovic's life, from his meteoric rise to fame with early hits like 'Eat It' and 'Like a Surgeon' to his torrid celebrity love affairs and famously depraved lifestyle," according to IMDb.
In a February press release, Yankovic said he was "absolutely thrilled" that Radcliffe was portraying him. "I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for," he continued.
Radcliffe will star alongside actors like Evan Rachel Wood and Rainn Wilson. According to Variety the biopic is currently in production and will exclusively be available on the Roku channel.