Rupert Grint says Broadway debut was just terrifying, but theatre is better than film

Grint stars alongside Nathan Lane in Frank Finger in a revival of Terrence McNally’s Broadway-themed comedy It’s Only A Play
Debut night: Rupert was all smiles as he posed for press photos after the event (Picture credit: Mayer RCF / Splash News)
Tom Teodorczuk10 October 2014
The Weekender

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Harry Potter star Rupert Grint says making his Broadway debut was “the most terrifying experience” of his life.

Grint, 26, who played Ron Weasley in the Potter series, opened in the role of eccentric British theatre director Frank Finger in a revival of Terrence McNally’s Broadway-themed comedy It’s Only A Play — and said he now prefers theatre to film.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Anna Wintour and Angela Lansbury were among those who attended the play’s opening night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Grint stars alongside Broadway veterans Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Stockard Channing and F Murray Abraham.

Afterwards Grint, who wears eyeliner, a mod suit and sports a spiky haircut in the play, told the Standard: “It’s an amazing cast and I feel very lucky to be a part of it. But the first week was the most terrifying experience of my life.

Rupert Grint in It’s Only A Play debut

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“I was thousands of miles away from home and surrounded by people that are so experienced and really know comedy. It’s not something I’ve really mastered, I must say, but just working with them I’ve learnt so much.

“I’m still very new to this theatre stuff but I love it and definitely want to do more. I get so much more out of it than I do with films.”

McNally has updated his 1982 play, about a frantic opening night on Broadway, to include references to celebrities including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Lady Gaga. Grint said: “This is a real old-fashioned comedy with ridiculous characters. It’s a very inside-joke kind of play. To be honest I’m still quite new to the theatre world so a lot of the references I didn’t really understand! As it’s gone on I’ve learnt more.”

Among the play’s targets are Grint’s Harry Potter co-star Daniel Radcliffe — a cloakroom attendant appears with a tiny children’s coat and announces it belongs to Radcliffe. Grint said: “He [Terrence] did ask me if he thought it was appropriate and I said Dan would find it hilarious.”

Director Jack O’Brien said Grint was cast after a producer saw him in the West End revival of Jez Butterworth’s play Mojo. O’Brien said: “I needed a saucy Brit with a sense of humour who doesn’t give a s**t. This boy has got it.”

Sarah Jessica Parker said Grint was “fabulous”, but reviews were mixed. The Associated Press praised his “channelling a punk rock mania” while Newsday called him “perfectly bratty”. But the New York Times described Grint’s performance as “a bit too overcharged”.

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