Rupert Grint is to make his stage debut as a petty crook.

The 24-year-old actor - who made his name in the 'Harry Potter' movies as the boy wizard's best friend Ron Weasley - caught director Ian Rickson's eye with his ''ordinary'' and ''centred'' approach to character acting and has been cast in the revival of Jez Butterworth's play 'Mojo' in London's West End theatre district.

Rickson, who directed the 1995 production of 'Mojo' at the Royal Court, told the Daily Mail newspaper: ''I'd seen the Potter films with my daughter and always thought Rupert was truthful as Ron Weasley. There's something ordinary and centred about him, and in this world of 'Mojo' you want that grittiness.''

The British theatre director also revealed his decision to cast Grint was influenced by a conversation he once had with David Yates - the director of the final four 'Harry Potter' films - who told Rickson the young actor had ''hidden depths'' as a thespian.

Grint has been cast as Sweets, an amphetamine-addicted criminal, in the play which is based in a 1950s club, in London's then-notorious Soho district. The story follows a rock singer with star potential who gets caught up in the seedy underworld of the club.

Grint will star alongside Brendon Coyle, Ben Whishaw and Daniel Mays in the production which is set to open at the Harold Pinter Theatre on October 26.

Grint's 'Harry Potter' co-star Daniel Radcliffe has appeared in several stage shows since the film series ended, most recently starring as disabled 17-year-old Irish boy Billy in 'The Cripple of Inishmaan'.