Harry Potter actor makes nude stage debut

Daniel Radcliffe shed Harry Potter's cloak and more as he impressed a star-studded audience on the opening night of the play Equus.

The 17-year-old plays Alan Strang, a troubled stablehand who has an erotic fixation with horses and the play has attracted Daniel's female fans because he strips off for a nude scene.

Hollywood actor Christian Slater faced similar attention when he appeared on the West End stage in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, and he was among the invited guests impressed by Daniel's acting skills.

He said: "The work that Daniel did on stage was incredible, extraordinary. I take my hat off to him completely.

"He became Alan Strang. I never thought for one second I was looking at Daniel Radcliffe, I was watching Alan Strang.

"I'm remarkably impressed. I think he was brave, adventurous and courageous, he's a phenomenon and I would certainly love to work with him."

TV presenter Graham Norton was also invited along and he insisted the nude scene had been blown out of proportion.

He said: "Why do people keep asking about him being naked? I'm a gay man and I'm not mentioning it. It's a play. Get over it, ladies."

Of course Daniel can't get away from the questions about being in the buff and the nude scene will certainly attract some new fans to the theatre.

He said: "If I went into it thinking nobody was going to talk about it, I would have been very stupid but it's not a big part of the play, it's four minutes at most.

"I don't want people to think I am doing it to separate myself from Harry Potter. I am doing it because it's a great play in itself."

No matter what Daniel says, the play could also help him to sow the seeds for a future career when the Harry Potter series comes to an end.

It has been claimed Warner Bros, the studio that makes the films, were unhappy with his choice of role but they have denied being upset.

In a statement, the studio said it "fully supports him in the artistic choices he makes as an actor."

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