"Harry Potter" in Racy Photos

"Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliffe, who gets naked for his new role in the London West End revival of the play "Equus," is being attacked by some Harry Potter fans and parents after appearing in nude publicity shots for the play.

Many other fans, however, have come to Radcliffe's defense, saying the photos are beautiful and presented in a tasteful manner.

Radcliffe plays the role of a stable-hand who has an erotic fixation with horses. In the publicity photos, Radcliffe, 17, bares it all alongside a white horse. "Equus," directed by Thea Sharrock, opens at London's Gielgud Theater on Feb. 27.

Producer David Pugh said of Dan: "There was no hesitancy about taking off his clothes. He has a confidence in his own appearance. With the performances that I've witnessed, when that boy takes his shirt off, Harry Potter has flown out of Hogwarts for good."

"Part of me wants to shake up people's perception of me, just shove me in a blender," Radcliffe said in a recent interview with Newsweek magazine.

"It's a really challenging play, and if I can pull it off we don't know if I can yet I hope people will stop and think, 'Maybe he can do something other than Harry,'" he said.

Radcliffe's spokesperson, Vanessa Davies, recently responded to the controversy: "Daniel does not want to step away from Harry Potter but he does want to show he is a rounded actor capable of very different roles," she told the UK's Daily Mail. "He has tremendous support from Harry Potter fans."