Radcliffe Makes Broadway Debut
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Published: September 28, 2008
NEW YORK - By now, Daniel Radcliffe has his role in "Equus" down cold. But he still had a case of the jitters before taking the stage for the play's Broadway opening.
"It was funny because tonight I didn't expect to be nervous because we've done all the previews, we've had all the critics here," Radcliffe said after Thursday's performance. "I thought, 'Oh, we'll do it tonight, it won't be so bad.' But I was terrified before we went out. I was like, 'Omigod, this is it.'"
The "Harry Potter" star said there's an advantage to being nervous.
"The jitters should be there 'til the last night of performing - because the jitters are what get you on stage," he said. "It's the nerves that make it exciting and vital and make every show different."
Radcliffe earned rave reviews for his performance in the London production of the Tony-winning play. His portrayal of a disturbed teenager who blinds six horses requires him to appear naked onstage - a departure from his G-rated image as the boy wizard in the big-screen adaptations of J.K. Rowling's best-selling fantasy novels.
Radcliffe stars opposite Tony winner Richard Griffiths, who portrays his character's psychiatrist at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre - as he did in London.
"I don't read reviews - ever," he said. "Good or bad. They affect the performance, so I tend to stay clear as much as I can."
Radcliffe posed for photographs with Griffiths and other "Equus" cast members before the company headed into the opening night celebration, held at a large party room inside a Chelsea Piers building on Manhattan's west side.
"He's growing up so fast - you couldn't shake a stick at it," the Tony Award winner said of Radcliffe. "And the quality of his acting is such that it's taken big strides. And it's terrific to see."
Much fuss has been made over Radcliffe's nude scene in the play. The media attention made no sense to the celebrity crowd who saw the show Thursday night.
"If it's in the play, if it's in the story, if it's necessary, then it's right," Kathleen Turner said.
