Daniel Radcliffe takes a new role and a new accent in Martin McDonagh's play The Cripple of Inishmaan, which is set in Ireland.
Gone of the days of wand waving and charms, and behind him are the days (hopefully) of stripping off onstage to prove to the world that he's an Ac-tor. For now Daniel Radcliffe, the former Harry Potter child star, is taking a surprising, more earnest role playing the titular character in The Cripple of Inishmaan.
Radcliffe takes the role of 17 year-old orphan Billy, raised by two surrogate Aunts on the remote western Irish island of Inishmaan and who longs to escape both from the mundaneness of 1930s Aran Island life and from the constant victimisation he endures because of his condition. The arrival of a filmmaker on the islands gives bookish Billy a chance to sneak on set and is given a screen test by Hollywood and glimpse into the movie world far away from sheep farms and inane island gossip.
The play, first written in 1997 by Martin McDonagh, has received a major revival from Michael Grandage's award-winning Grandage Company, which is currently in season at the prestigious Noel Coward Theatre. Radcliffe will star alongside actress Sarah Greene who plays a young mischief-maker and "gives a riproaring performance and steals every scene she's in."
Described as a "dark, politically incorrect comedy" by The Independent's Paul Taylor, Radcliffe's performance as the physically challenged Billy is praised as "genuine", "sensitive" and "unshowy", despite a less-than-convincing Irish accent.
Radcliffe is doing well to avoid being pigeonholed in schoolboy or fantasy characters in his post-Potter environment. In an interview with BBC Radio 2 he recognises that the teenage wizard will forever hang over all his future performances and admits he has been embarrassed by his acting during his earlier films and has plenty to learn.
From the 'boy who lived', to the actor who managed to find life after one of the world's biggest movie franchises, Daniel Radcliffe is proving that he's serious about this acting lark and wants to show the world his acting integrity.
Daniel Radcliffe Pictured During His Involvement In The Play, Equus [L] And [R] At The Final Harry Potter Premiere.
First-time filmmaker Daniel Ragussis takes an unusual approach to this thriller. Since it's based on...
While the original 2013 magical caper was a big hit, it's style-over-substance approach didn't exactly...
Nate Foster is a young FBI agent who's selected to go undercover and infiltrate a...
Hank is a man who's been pushed to the edge, he's stranded on an island...
The Four Horsemen aren't just magicians; they're illusionists with an agenda. Their initial stunt was...
After becoming the most famous magicians in the world with their last tricks and exposing...
Igor Strausman is the less thought about assistant of the insane but brilliant Victor Frankenstein....
Amy Schumer makes her big screen debut with a script that feels like a much-extended...
With his most stylish film yet, horror specialist Alexandre Aja takes a wildly irreverent approach,...
Following the mysterious death of his girlfriend, Merrin Williams (Juno Temple), Ig Perrish (Daniel Redcliffe)...
With his first romantic-comedy, Daniel Radcliffe proves adept at delivering snappy dialogue and generating strong...
Following the vicious rape and murder of his girlfriend Merrin Williams, Ig Perrish goes on...
Ig Perrish wakes up after a particularly drunken night with a very sore head -...
Wallace has just about giving up on finding love and relationships. He's dropped out of...