More Horse Play for Harry Potter

Daniel Radcliffe to make his Broadway debut in September 2008, reprising his bod-baring Equus role in New York

By Gina Serpe Nov 06, 2007 6:52 PMTags

Daniel Radcliffe can't stop horsing around.

After receiving critical plaudits for his role in the West End production of Equus, the Harry Potter thesp has confirmed he will make his Broadway debut next year when he reprises his bod-baring role in the New York-bound play.

"Of course there's nerves. If I wasn't nervous, I'd be dead," the 18-year-old told BBC News of his debut on the Great White Way. "It's a good thing, it's healthy. I'm obviously nervous, but I'm very, very excited."

The Radcliffe wrapped up an eight-week run in the U.K. production of the play in June and received a Best Actor nomination from London's Evening Standard Drama Awards for his turn as a teenager who becomes fascinated with horses and inexplicably blinds six of them with a hoof pick.

More controversially, the role called and will continue to call for the erstwhile boy wizard to engage in some manly onstage activities, including appearing completely nude and engaging in simulated sex acts with both his equine and female costars.

"All the people I know in New York say New York is ready for this kind of play," Radcliffe said. "If we can get a straight play to really succeed in a world of theater that is so besieged by musicals, that would be a real achievement, and I think the time is absolutely right to do it there.

"For a kid who grew up listening to showbiz tunes in the car, Broadway is a big, big thing."

Radcliffe won't be making the transatlantic flight on his own. The actor will be rejoined on Broadway by West End costar Richard Griffiths, who also appeared alongside Radcliffe as Uncle Vernon in the Harry Potter franchise, as well as the play's London director, Thea Sharrock, its lighting director and its designer.

With all the familiar faces coming along, Radcliffe said his confidence in the project is high.

"I was just thinking, if I screw up I'm going to be screwing up with better people around me. I'll be there with Richard, so when people said it was a risk to do it in the first place, you just have to look around the rehearsal room."

The play continues to run in the West End, with Radcliffe's role taken over by Atonement's Alfie Allen, kid brother to U.K. songbird Lily.

Radcliffe's latest project is the British TV drama My Boy Jack, where he plays Jack Kipling, the 18-year-old son of writer Rudyard Kipling killed in World War I. The series begins airing this weekend.

He has also begun work on Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which is due out Nov. 21, 2008.

The Broadway production of Equus is scheduled to begin rehearsals next August for a September 2008 premiere.