As soon as you hear the name Daniel Radcliffe you think of round glasses and wizard's cloak, but the 18-year-old stud is appearing in a new film far away from Hogwarts. Sugar went to chat to Dan about Australia, sex scenes and turning 18...

What made you take on a new role, away from Harry Potter?
“I was sent a lot of scripts but none of them really appealed to me. When I read December Boys I loved it. It was a very simple story but I thought it was very beautiful, my character Maps is very different to Harry, so I knew that would be a challenge for me. I’ve been playing Harry Potter for five years, so it was quite amazing to do something different.”

In December Boys you acted your first sex scene, how was it?
“Teresa, my co-star is beautiful, so I was sort of worried about, you know, certain things. But kissing someone on camera is just not sexy, no matter how attracted to them you are. No matter how beautiful they are, when you're surrounded by crew who are taking measurements of the focus and making sure you're in the right light, it becomes totally clinical. And clinical is not a word I would associate with any good sexual experience.”

Photographers are watching me like a hawk to see me have my first pint and fall out of a nightclub

Now that you are trying new things, do you have any limits on what you will do?
“I’d like to believe that nothing is out of my reach, I have been sent scripts for action film films but I just can’t imagine myself running and jumping around”

So you had a kissing scene in Harry Potter, a sex scene in December Boys, is there anything you wouldn’t do? Would you consider playing a gay role?
“Why not, as long as the film isn’t too gratuitous then I would definitely consider a gay role.”

How did it feel to turn 18?
“After I turned 18, I looked in the mirror and said right I need to grow up now but after a while I didn’t notice any changes, I said to my friend about it and she said that is not how it works, it is a gradual process. I am enjoying being 18 though, even if the photographers are watching me like a hawk to see me have my first pint and fall out of a nightclub.”

With all these raunchy roles, do you ever get embarrassed in front of parents when they go to watch the film/show?
“No, my parents are proud of me whatever I do and to be honest when, for example, I was in Equus I had better things to worry about than my parents seeing me! It is nerve racking when I have to kiss someone for a scene but there is so much to think about, like the lights are on the right places etc”

What was it like working in Australia?
“It’s great over there, I had a great crew to work with but I got a lot of stick for being English, it was a good job there were two other British guys over there to keep me company.”

What were your fans like in Australia?
“The fans are different in oz, in America and the UK fans are quite restrained but Australian fans don’t care what they say to you, sometimes it’s like ‘Woah, did you really just say that!"