In 2000 , producer David Heyman asked Radcliffe to audition for the role of Harry Potter for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher 's Stone , the best @-@ selling book by British author J. K. Rowling . Rowling had been searching for an unknown British actor to personify the character , and the movie 's director Chris Columbus recalled thinking , " This is what I want . This is Harry Potter " , after he saw a video of the young actor in David Copperfield . Eight months later , and after several auditions , Radcliffe was selected to play the part . Rowling also endorsed the selection saying , " I don 't think Chris Columbus could have found a better Harry . " Radcliffe 's parents originally turned down the offer , as they had been told that it would involve six films shot in Los Angeles . Warner Bros. instead offered Radcliffe a two @-@ movie contract with shooting in the UK ; Radcliffe was unsure at the time if he would do any more than that .