Tom Felton has said his Harry Potter co-star Matthew Lewis told him to “embrace the madness” after he went to him and Daniel Radcliffe for advice ahead of his West End debut.
The actor will join the cast of the supernatural thriller 2:22 – A Ghost Story when the play moves to the Criterion Theatre for its third season on May 7.
Written by Danny Robins and directed by Matthew Dunster, the show follows Jenny, who believes her new home is haunted, while her husband Sam does not believe it.
Felton, best known for his role as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series, will play Sam while Doctor Who star Mandip Gill will play Jenny.
'I'm very, very excited. Not as excited as my mum is.'
You may know @TomFelton from #HarryPotter – but he's about to make his West End debut in 2:22!😍👏👻
He's even asked old friend Daniel Radcliffe for some advice.🎭🙌 #TheOneShow pic.twitter.com/CvMWrzGPmP
— BBC The One Show (@BBCTheOneShow) May 3, 2022
He told BBC’s The One Show that he sought advice from Radcliffe and Lewis, who starred in the film series as the titular wizard and Neville Longbottom respectively, due to their experience on stage.
Felton said: “I was very excited to tell Daniel, he’s done a lot of theatre and musicals and so I was keen to get a bit of an insight.
“Him and Matthew Lewis, who I saw the other day, he was equally keen to advise me to embrace the madness and don’t panic and just enjoy the time actually being up there.
“It’s a very different thing than we’ve done before. I don’t want to speak too soon but I’m really excited to get started.”
Radcliffe has stage experience in the West End revival of Equus, and the Broadway versions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Privacy, where he played whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Lewis has also gained a number of theatre credits, including the West End production of Our Boys and the play Unfaithful in 2016.
CASTING NEWS 🚨 Meet the cast that’ll be haunting the West End…@TomFelton #MandipGill #BeatrizRomilly and #SamSwainsbury star in award-winning thriller #222aghoststory @CriTheatre from 7 May!👻
Book your tickets now, if you dare…https://t.co/7MWBXKeRDh pic.twitter.com/TQ1pkbAWIU
— 2:22 A Ghost Story (@222aghoststory) March 29, 2022
Felton said he was “very excited” about taking to the stage but joked that he was “not as excited” as his mother, recalling how she would bring him to auditions in London when he was a child.
He added: “So for me to have a part in something that’s going to be taking place in West End is hugely terrifyingly exciting, in all the right ways.”
The play has previously featured the West End debut of pop star Lily Allen, as well as appearances by I’m A Celebrity 2020 winner Giovanna Fletcher, Encanto’s Stephanie Beatriz, Inbetweeners actor James Buckley, EastEnder Jake Wood and theatre star Hadley Fraser.
The third season, which boasts a completely new cast, moves to the Criterion Theatre after runs at the Noel Coward and Gielgud theatres. It received three Olivier nominations, including best new play.
War Of The Worlds star Beatriz Romilly will play the couple’s friend Lauren, while Mum actor Sam Swainsbury will play her new partner Ben.