Rupert Grint talks “Mojo” and how “Charlie Countryman” convinced him never to do drugs

In a new interview, Rupert, who portrays a 1950s drug dealer in the stage production Mojo, talks about the ups and downs of being part of the play. He’s doing quite well, considering he’s been nominated for a Whatsonstage.com award for London Newcomer of the Year, not to mention the production’s run has been extended to February 8.

But emerging from the “safe bubble” of Harry Potter, Rupert says he felt a bit lost. Performing eight times a week, his voice is suffering. “I’ve had to have vocal massages, which are extremely painful. You basically get strangled.”

On the other hand, he’s glad to see young people, rather than just “theatre elite,” showing up for tickets, and the crowds at the stage door are “usually quite manageable.” There’s also great camaraderie offstage. “Everyone in the theatre plays aisle volleyball at 6 pm.”

Rupert then talks about his experience shooting Charlie Countryman, during which he watched Shia LaBeouf take real LSD. “He smashed the place up, got naked and kept seeing this owl. If anything will make you not do drugs, it’s watching that.”

You can read MuggleNet’s review of Mojo here and get tickets here. Have you seen Mojo or Charlie Countryman? What did you think of Rupert’s performance? Let us know in the comments!