Daniel Radcliffe’s nude debut gives Warner Bros. headache

Category Cinema, people, Magazine | Permalink | 18. February 2007

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They grow up so quickly. All set for tonight is actor Daniel Radcliffe, ready to debut his role for special screening theater audiences in the latest revival of the play Equus” in the West End of London.

Radcliffe, 17, has no qualms about appearing naked in Peter Schaffer’s play Equus, and despite the outcry from juvenile fans of the Harry Potter franchise, it ultimately shows Radcliffe is dead set on a career as an adult actor.

Radcliffe is adept at playing a boy wizard, but now he will prove himself as a real stage thespian.

The play, first staged more than 30 years ago, Radcliffe plays stablehand Alan Strang, who blinds six horses with a metal spike after a disturbing sexual experience.

The Daily Mail reports that Warner Bros. studio - the studio that brought Rowling’s books to the screen, allegedly are “utterly dismayed” by distributed publicity shots of Radcliffe naked, as well as the fact that he spends a full 10 minutes on stage nude.

The Mail contends that studio chiefs are “said to fear the scenes could damage their multi-million-dollar film franchise and could even lead to Radcliffe being replaced as the young wizard.”

“Warner Bros have been building up their publicity machine for Harry’s first - chaste - screen kiss when the next Potter film (Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix) comes out in the summer.

“Now our star is out there doing full-frontal sex. We’ve been blown completely out of the water by this,” according to the Daily Mail.

Equus has a preview run tonight at the Gielgud Theatre. The play officially opens on February 27th. monstersandcritics.com

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