Daniel Radcliffe came into the public consciousness as a child in the Harry Potter movie series; now the actor is starting to think about a child of his own.

Though he's not yet sure of "who" to have a baby with, he does have an idea of when.

"I'd like to get started on it before my thirties," the actor, who stars in the upcoming indie Kill Your Darlings, told Time Out: London (the issue is due out June 4) -- at 23, he does still have a bit of time ahead of him.

He expressed a desire to feel the sense of purpose that parents seem to have, a sense he believes is lacking in his own life.

"I've grown up around lots of people who were having kids when I knew them, because a lot of them were a lot older than me," Radcliffe said.

"I saw the wonderful change in them. I see that it gives you a sense of purpose that up till now I only really get from work. I want that [purpose]."

Radcliffe has also considered the less existential and more fun aspects of parenting, and he delights at the prospect of running behind an athletically inclined son or daughter, especially while he's still got a bit of stamina, proclaiming that he liked "the idea of being a youngish parent."

"[That way]," he continued, "I've got energy to play football even though they'll be better than me by the time they're four."

But his own shortcomings, he acknowledged, might just be an influence on finding the right "who" have a child with: "I will have to find a very tall wife if they're going to be good at sports," the diminutive Radcliffe joked.

On his way to finding that special -- and tall -- someone, Radcliffe says he's also contemplating body art as a new and interesting experience, and he's thinking of going literary.

"It's going to sound really pretentious, but there's a [Samuel] Beckett quote I really like which I'm going to get tattooed on me. 'Try again, fail again, fail better.' That's what I'm about."

"I heard someone say growing up is about aiming to succeed, but being fulfilled by failing very well," Radcliffe added. "I agree with that 100 percent."

Tags: Daniel Radcliffe