Daniel Radcliffe was “pretty pleased” with his Irish accent in his portrayal of the disabled title character of Martin McDonagh’s play “The Cripple of Inishmaan.” He hopes his accent will get better during the play’s run.

Radcliffe, whose father is from Northern Ireland, said, “Learning an accent is an on-going thing. I’m pleased with it to be honest and most of the cast, many of whom are Irish, seem pretty happy with it. So it’s definitely going to get better and better the more I do it.”

Radcliffe finds the Irish accent more amusing than the English one. He said about the Irish accent, “It’s a fun accent to talk in and the stuff that wouldn’t necessarily be funny in an English accent for some reason is just funnier in an Irish accent.” 

Accent aside, Radcliffe seems to be enjoying the show’s run. He said, “Every time I come to the stage it’s a different character, I learn something new and I think I grow.” He added, “For people who have followed my career, they’re used to me picking darker, slightly less predictable material and this definitely comes under the same category.”

He urges audiences to come for the show’s own merits. Radcliffe said, “I know my face is on the poster, but ultimately people should come to see a great play. I think Billy is the character through whom the audience gets the story- it’s very much an ensemble piece about the island and everyone who lives on it.”

Radcliffe’s role in “The Cripple of Inishmaan” is his third major theatre appearance. Previously he starred on Broadway in “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” in 2011 and in “Equus” in 2007. He also continued to work in film after finishing the Harry Potter series. Radcliffe starred in “A Young Doctor’s Notebook” and “The Woman in Black.” “Kill Your Darlings,” in which Radcliffe plays poet Allen Ginsberg comes out in the fall of 2013.

Written by Martin McDonagh in 1997, “The Cripple of Inishmaan” is a dark comedy about cripple Billy Claven’s life on one of the Aran Islands in remote Ireland. The bookish boy is adopted by two aunts and generally derided by everyone on the small island. When 1930’s Hollywood filmmaker Robert Flaherty comes to neighbor island to make “Man of Aran,” Billy sees his chance to escape. McDonagh’s play looks at the mythical Ireland people create and how hard it is to separate that one from the real Ireland.

“The Cripple of Inishmaan” is playing at the Noel Coward Theatre in London until August 31, 2013.