Bodog Beat

Horsing around on EQUUS: Daniel Radcliffe trades in wizard robes for his birthday suit. (Photo Courtesy Equustheplay.com)

Daniel Radcliffe shook off his bespectacled Harry Potter image on Wednesday to win rave reviews for his stage portrayal of tortured teenager, Alan Strang in the psychological thriller EQUUS. 17-year-old Radcliffe's West End debut at the Gielgud Theatre in London sparked controversy because of the nature of the play, as Radcliffe stripped naked, simulated sex…and horror upon horror, smoked.

The Tony-Award-winning play EQUUS tells the story of a stable-hand who has erotic feelings for a horse. Yes, the world is shocked and saddened to see their cute little wizard boy all grown up and turning his interests to smoking and… horses. However, that didn't stop hundreds of Potter fans from swarming the theater during previews and buying $3.1 million worth of tickets in advance. Although Radcliffe won praise for his performance, critics complain that Peter Shaffer's play, directed by Thea Sharrock, has not stood the test of time.

Radcliffe is thrilled to be crawling out of his Harry Potter box, saying that his role is a "rite of passage."

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

Radcliffe, who was discovered seven years ago in the audience of a London theater, reprises his role as the boy wizard in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," will be released July 13.