EQUUS - RADCLIFFE'S CO-STAR DEFENDS NUDE SCENE

British actress JOANNA CHRISTIE has defended EQUUS co-star DANIEL RADCLIFFE for appearing nude on the London stage, insisting the play is about much more than him stripping off. The HARRY POTTER star, 17, defended his decision to appear naked in a revival of PETER SHAFFER's 1973 play earlier this month (FEB07), after the promotional pictures for the show caused controversy among parents of young fans of the boy wizard. But 24-year-old Christie is amazed by the amount of press attention Radcliffe has attracted, and urges critics to look beyond the raunchy scenes to see the meaning of the play itself. She says, "I can't believe there are people saying he's a bad role model for children. He's an actor playing a part, and in the story he happens to have a relationship with a girl. "The play is on school syllabuses. It's an amazingly interesting, complex story. It's not about nudity or sex. It's about a lot of very complex issues. When we do (the nude scene) in the context of the play it's really beautiful and natural. "I expected some publicity because of Daniel but not stories and photos everywhere."