uHollywood

Nudity is a popular and very marketable issue. Daniel Radcliffe’s lead role in the controversial play “Equus” requires him to appear nude onstage in one scene. After the media announced that the Harry Potter star would be appearing in a new theatrical production of the play on London’s West End, advance bookings for seats exceeded $3 million.

A sensitive, idealistic young hero, Harry Potter is a complete contrast to the confused, tortured lead character in “Equus”. Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award-winning play tells the story of a psychiatrist’s efforts to treat Alan Strang, a young stable-hand with a sexual fascination for horses. His obsession with the animals is traced back to conflicting religious views between his ChristianMom and atheist father, leading him to view the horse as a godlike being. After an attempted sexual encounter with a female groom in the stables ends in failure, Strang blinds the horses, believing their eyes have seen into his soul.

Radcliffe was 12 years old when he first played JK Rowling’s boy wizard in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” in 2001. Five Harry Potter films and six years later he made the bold decision to appear in the antithesis of the role that brought him fame and fortune. Harry Potter became a literary hero to millions of kids when the first book was released. As JK Rowling’s series grew, so did the fame of Harry Potter. It fell to the young Daniel Radcliffe to bring the character to life on the silver screen, a task he has accomplished to the satisfaction and delight of both Rowling and the legion of fans of the books.

While a role like Harry Potter will bring an actor fame and fortune an estimated $30 million in Radcliffe’s case it can also typecast an actor. Radcliffe’s decision to break away from the Harry Potter character in this way demonstrates determination and courage. Taking on the harrowing role of Alan Strang with all its psychological demons is challenging enough; performing such a demanding role on the live theatrical stage proves Radcliffe’s dedication to his craft.

And then there’s the nudity. Considering the extreme content of the play, it seems strange that a nude scene attracts more interest and debate than the depiction of extreme religious dogma and severe cruelty to and mutilation of animals.

The media headlines were filled with double innuendoes, one of the most popular being “Harry Potter Gets His Wand Out Onstage”. For his part Radcliffe is delighted to be moving away from the Harry Potter character, calling his role a “rite of passage.”

“That iconic scene is the physical and emotional climax of the play,” he told Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper. “So if I do that with pants on, it would be crap.”

The British stage show won rave reviews from the critics, and Radcliffe will reprise his role on Broadway when the show opens on 25 September, 2009. Promotional posters for the five month Broadway run are already on display in New York, depicting a horse’s head superimposed upon Radcliffe’s torso. Warner Brothers has now confirmed it is moving the release date of the sixth film in the series, “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”, from 21 November, 2008 to 17 July, 2009.

Coincidence that the original release date was scheduled for the middle of the play’s Broadway run? Perhaps. Harry Potter and his young fans are a complete contradiction to the angst of Alan Strang. Radcliffe should Considerthis development as further proof of talent. That single nude scene is not only controversial and marketable it’s powerful.