Daniel Radcliffe Had the Most Gryffindor Reason for Not Wearing Alysa Liu’s Gold Medal

U.S. figure skating star Alysa Liu shared a sweet moment with Daniel Radcliffe after the Milan Cortina Olympics. | Screengrab on TikTok/ @todayshow

Alysa Liu’s gold medal-winning skate at the Milan Cortina Olympics was out of this world. So, too, was her run-in with the most famous wizard who ever lived.

Fantasy and reality collided when the newly minted U.S. figure skating gold medalist met the Chosen One and Hogwarts’ Triwizard Champion, Harry Potter—played by the ever-talented Daniel Radcliffe. The two met backstage on the Today Show this week and shared a sweet moment together, with Radcliffe lavishing praise on the 20-year-old star. “You being you was the most joyful thing I’ve watched,” Radcliffe told Liu.

Liu, equally starstruck by Radcliffe, then tried to give him her gold medal to wear around his neck.

“Do you want to wear it?” Liu asked.

“Obviously, I wasn’t going to ask, but yeah!” Radcliffe, ever the gentleman, replied. He then took the medal and was about to drape it over his head when his Gryffindor blood stopped him.

“You know what, I can’t wear it. I’ll hold it, I’ll hold it. Wearing it feels like stolen valor,” Radcliffe said.

Daniel Radcliffe won't wear Alysa Liu's gold medal because: “Wearing it feels like stolen valor” pic.twitter.com/jyEQ0ZHCcV

— non aesthetic things (@PicturesFoIder) March 3, 2026

A true Gryffindor, through and through.

As expected, the comments section under the Today Show’s viral video of Liu and Radcliffe was extremely fun to read:

“You can see the exact moment he started to put it on and realized how weird it felt. You're a good man, Elijah Wood,” one TikTok user wrote. “10 points to Gryffindor!” another comment read. “It’s one of her horcruxes now,” another TikTok user wrote. (Liu killed it at the Milan Cortina Games.)

Radcliffe/Potter’s noble instincts aside, it was truly precious to see the two of them link up even if it was just a chance encounter. Liu brought America immense pride with her radiant free skate performance that ended up winning gold in Milan; Radcliffe delivered one of the most iconic acting performances spanning a decade to immortalize The Boy Who Lived. You can’t deny there’s a certain magic found in two beloved heroes gushing over each other and celebrating each other’s accomplishments. Take that, Malfoy.

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