Daniel Radcliffe stars as a flatulent corpse in ‘Swiss Army Man’ on Netflix

Daniel Radcliffe plays Manny, a sentient, gassy corpse used as a multipurpose tool, in the 2016 A24 film Swiss Army Man, currently streaming on Netflix. The movie follows Hank Thompson, played by Paul Dano, who discovers Manny on a deserted island and uses the body’s unique biological functions—including flatulence for propulsion—to attempt a return to civilization, according to Yahoo.

The Daniels direct a surreal survival story

Written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as “the Daniels,” Swiss Army Man serves as an early example of the duo’s unconventional style. Yahoo reports that the film’s bizarre narrative and tonal shifts predate the filmmakers’ Academy Award-winning work on Everything Everywhere All at Once. In the film, the character of Manny evolves from a tool for survival into a speaking companion for the stranded Hank.

Radcliffe shifts away from Harry Potter roles

Since concluding the Harry Potter franchise, Radcliffe has targeted roles that distance him from the “Boy Who Lived” persona. Yahoo describes this trajectory as a pursuit of “weird” and audacious characters. This pattern includes several specific projects:

• Horns: A role featuring a man who sprouts horns while investigating his girlfriend’s murder.
• Now You See Me 2 and The Lost City: Roles portraying sniveling or sneaky antagonists.
• Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: A stylized biopic where Radcliffe plays a heightened version of “Weird Al” Yankovic.

Radcliffe wins Tony Award for Merrily We Roll Along

Radcliffe’s career evolution extends to Broadway, where he has appeared in Equus and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Yahoo reports that Radcliffe recently won his first Tony Award for his performance in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along.

Common questions about Swiss Army Man

Who are the lead actors in the movie?

The film stars Paul Dano as Hank Thompson, a man stranded on an island, and Daniel Radcliffe as Manny, the corpse he discovers.

Which production company released the film?

The movie was produced by A24 and was released in 2016.

Who directed the film?

The movie was written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the filmmaking duo known as the Daniels.

Radcliffe’s transition into independent and experimental cinema follows his decade-long tenure as the lead in one of the highest-grossing film franchises in history.