Read my Lips!
The newcomer from London is brilliant and unassuming, let's take a closer look at Eddie Redmayne!
by Jed Medina

The Good Shepherd may be the film that introduced Eddie Redmayne to American audiences, but this young British actor, who went to school with Prince William, has been making head way in the acting department ever since he started in the theatre about 4 years ago.

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"To be honest, I got into acting because I loved theater. It's embarrassing how little I know (about film)" says Redmayne.

Growing up in a family that deals with business and high finance, acting seems to be quite a departure. But analyzing balance sheets and giving financial advice to British millionaires is not the destiny of this young man. Even his choice of studies shows an inclination towards a more aesthetic flavor. After earning a degree in art history at Cambridge, Redmayne decided it was time to test the waters and auditioned for roles in theatre.

In just a year, he won the Best Newcomer at the Evening Standard Awards and a year after that he won again at the Critics Circle Theatre Awards. Working with directors Jonathan Kent, Anthony Page, Phil Wilmott, and Tim Carroll enabled him to feel what it was like to stand on stage and deliver his lines. It just seemed the natural thing for him to do. Apparently, he realized then just how much he relishes the very idea of acting.

A number of British actors who started in theatre became big stars in the movies: names like Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier and Peter O'Toole come to mind. While Redmayne is still in the initial stage of learning the tricks of the trade, he is already being regarded as one of today's most talented young actors.

What's so special about Redmayne then? If the number of upcoming films is a measure of how much excitement he has generated within the movie industry, then he wins the title of "hottest newcomer" hands down.

Savage Grace with Julianne Moore, The Other Boleyn Girl with Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman and Elizabeth: The Golden Age under the lens of director Shekhar Kapur, starring Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen. These films are more than enough to keep him busy and make sure he follows up the buzz generated by his amazing performance in the Robert de Niro film, The Good Shepherd.

The Good Son: Much has been said about that role and why he was chosen over the many other aspirants who went for the audition. It was reported that the 'Jagger-esque' lips did it for Redmayne.

"I saw something on the Internet that said 'Eddie's got lips to rival Angelina's. But they look wrong on him - they look like a duck. I thought that statement started out really well..." Redmayne seems amused.

While Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie played more prominent roles, Redmayne who played their son, held his own with ease. With a commanding on-screen presence that is a mixture of nervous intensity and unabashed charm, Redmayne proved that the acclaim he received in theatre is no fluke. Pursuing the role which he instinctively considers his own, Redmayne went to great length to prove why he was the one:

'It took nine months of flying me over to America to actually get the part. One of my closest friends from college lives on the Lower East Side, so I'd call on a moment's notice' narrates Redmayne.

De Niro was also reported to have read a review of Redmayne's performance in "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?" and was impressed.

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It seems that a number of prominent movie actors have taken to their screen roles with more conviction and skill if they have previous experience in theatre - the challenge of having a live audience and no room for error demands the ability to improvise and a strong commitment to perfection. Some of the UK's new batch of stars have theatre experience, like Ben Whishaw (acclaimed for his role in Hamlet) and of course, Redmayne.

Before Hollywood: But his role in the Good Shepherd is not the only one worth mentioning. Way before movie fanatics put him on the hotlist; he was already turning heads in the indie film 'Like Minds'.

Many may compare this small Australian production to the more popular 'Murder by Numbers', with its bigger, more established stars like Ryan Gosling and Michael Pitt, but Redmayne and Toni Collette, who gives a riveting performance as forensic psychologist Sally Rowe, put the film on an almost equal footing. Some have even remarked that it is the better film due to the constant barrage of deliciously delightful British accents!

Reports Australia's CIA: 'Like Minds is so like the original "foreign" source for the Hollywood version of Murder by Numbers that it's spooky: two teenage boys create a web of mind games, murder and deceit until captured by the driven female criminologist. Fortunately, it's not a Hollywood remake so the psychological games aren't merely twisty but twisted, dark and bleak.'

The Right Attitude:

"In a year or two I could well have had my moment and it's over. Even if you don't have that fall, you're still going to get criticized. It seems bizarre to me, that stereotype of actors becoming so full of themselves. It's certainly not that situation with me - I'm still living at home," continues Redmayne in the discourse on how aspiring young actors can take a fall if their arrogance remains unchecked.

With such a refreshing attitude and an undeniable ring of truth in Redmayne's seeming lack of care for vanity and 'excessive' publicity, we are certainly in the presence of an actor serious about his craft.

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What to expect? Among the three films that are scheduled for this year's release, Savage Grace seems to be generating a lot of buzz. In this adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Natalie Robbins and Steven ML Aronson, Redmayne plays the gay son of Barbara Daly, a woman who married someone outside her social class, the heir of a very rich family. In a moving story of love and incest, Savage Grace is expected to generate a lot of controversy and many are expecting the film to deliver some very notable acting performances.

In 2008, Redmayne will star in Yellow Handkerchief, a film that will reunite William Hurt and Maria Bello for the first time since their acclaimed performances in David Cronenberg's History of Violence.

The Last Word: "It's such a thrill for me not to have massive aspirations. I'm so lucky to have done the projects I've done, and if it ended tomorrow I will have had an extraordinary career experience that someone of my age doesn't have a right to have done."

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Eddie Redmayne's profile written by Jed Medina with excerpts from Michael Ventre's interview of Eddie Redmayne at Variety and quotes from the article 'Eddie for the World' appearing in V Magazine (issue #45).

Redmayne is currenty represent by PFD. You may also enjoy browsing a live journal dedicated to Eddie Redmayne, with some very delightful and amusing entries to boot!

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Comments (3)

Promising

How great that we have Mr. Redmayne featured here on tMF.

I just recently saw "The Good Shepherd" and I found it quite refreshing to see him among these big names, such as Angelina Jolie or Matt Damon.

I didn't know him before but for me he has something quite appealing to him which makes it interesting to watch him. He's one of those faces which you see and won't forget that quickly again.

After seeing "The Good Shepherd" I was really interested in seeing him in another movie, and I'm so looking forward to "Savage Grace". The book sounds like an interesting read as well.

And by generally looking forward to see Cate Blanchett starring as Elizabeth I. again it's good to know that Eddie Redmayne also has a part in this.

Rina H. , July 19, 2007

New Film Project: \"Powder Blue\"

The Hollywood Reporter has just announced a new film project that Eddie will be doing, a drama called Powder Blue.

In writer-director Timothy Linh Bui's film, several Angelenos meet on Christmas Eve through chance, tragedy and divine intervention. Patrick Swayze will play the sleazy owner of the strip club where Jessica Biel's character performs. Eddie Redmayne will portray a mortician who falls in love with her.

Hollywood Reporter

IMDb POWDER BLUE (200

Jan , August 11, 2007

...

Thanks for the information, Jan.
Sounds pretty interesting.

I'm definitly looking forward to that one now. ^^

Rina H. , September 25, 2007

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