In a new interview with Time Out, Rupert Grint talks his newest venture, It’s Only a Play. You can purchase tickets to the show via their website, the show runs 2 hours and 35 minutes, including one intermission. Some snippets of the interview are below:

How did you end up in this production? Were you looking to come to Broadway?
It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, ever since my first taste of theater last year in the West End, when I did Mojo. This just kind of came up. I was quite hesitant at first, but it’s such a fun play and a great cast that I had to do it.

You were hesitant?
Yeah, just because of the scale of it. I thought I might be a little bit out of my depth. Everyone in this cast is so experienced—people I’ve watched while I was growing up—it was quite overwhelming. I remember on the first day just looking around the table, thinking, Oh, my God, this is real. But it’s been a really good rehearsal process, and I feel comfortable. They all know comedy so well.

Your character, Frank Finger, is this wunderkind director who feels like his work is a sham. It’s nothing you relate to, I hope?
[Laughs] No, not quite. He’s not like other characters I’ve played before. He’s quite over-the-top and angry. He’s been praised since leaving RADA for everything he’s done, and he’s a bit sick of all the attention and the rave reviews. He’s already been knighted. He wants a bad review to kind of get him back on track. And he’s a kleptomaniac. It’s a fun character.

[…]

Do you read your reviews?
I avoid it whenever I can. It’s scary.

Is this your first time in New York for an extended period?
Yeah, it is. I used to come over almost every year for Harry Potter promotional things, one week here and there, but this is the longest I’ve been here. Sometimes I do feel quite far away from home, but it’s a great city, it’s got such energy. I’m really enjoying it.

Is it hard to be out and about here, or do you just blend in?
It depends on where you go. I have managed to kind of blend in. People want pictures, but nothing too crazy. It’s quite manageable. I wear a hat to cover my hair as much as I can.

[…]

Daniel said recently that he didn’t like looking at his work in the Harry Potter films. Do you have a similar response?
I don’t really look back on them. I don’t really watch them. Occasionally I catch glimpses when they’re playing on TV. It’s like watching high-quality home videos, watching me grow up. It’s quite strange. I’m really quite proud to be a part of them. They were a huge part of our lives.

Filed Under: Rupert Grint