Eddie Redmayne was desperate to be a member of the red-headed Weasley family in the Harry Potter films – but “never got the call”.
The flame-haired actor is finally getting the chance to play a part in the wizarding world with his starring role in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
(Andrew Medichini/AP)
The 33-year-old told ITV’s Lorraine: “For years I was always like, in the Harry Potter films, there was a whole ginger family, and I never got an audition. And I was like, come on, it’s outrageous!
“So I was desperate. Every actor in England was in the Harry Potter films, but I never got the call. Now I’m having my moment.”
Eddie plays writer Newt Scamander in the adaptation of JK Rowling’s book, which is set 70 years before the Harry Potter series begins.
The London-born actor is also tipped for success for his role in The Danish Girl, in which he stars as Lili Elbe – one of the first known transgender women to receive sex reassignment surgery.
Asked whether he took his work home with him, he said: “I’m not like a method actor or anything, I always think that I’m quite good at going home and being totally normal and everything. But you’ll have to ask my wife.”
Eddie and public relations executive Hannah Bagshawe wed in December 2014.
Hannah Bagshawe and Eddie Redmayne attend The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and InStyle’s annual Toronto International Film Festival celebration at The Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto. (Arthur Mola/Invision/AP)
He added: “I think she said, some little elements of physicality of each part I play, they sort of remain for a while, until I go on to the next film. And then she’s like ‘Oh god, who’ve I got to live with now?’”
The actor also spoke of his experience playing a transgender woman.
Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl (Universal)
He said: “The first time I walked on set as Lili – I don’t know if it was my own nerves, but I felt a sense of scrutiny and judgment. And you felt sort of eyes on you.
“And what was interesting was having met many trans women in preparation for the film, they would speak about early on in their transition – that feeling of nerves and anxiety.
“But for them, going out into the world is mixed with the threat of danger and violence, and I was doing this in a safe environment, surrounded by friends.
“And so you did feel scrutinised, but it was nothing compared to what trans women have to go through.”
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