Actor Eddie Redmayne blew everyone away with his performance in The Theory of Everything, which also netted him his first Academy Award. Redmayne is also known for his role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. However, the acclaimed actor has revealed that he once auditioned for a role in the globally popular Star Wars franchise.
Redmayne recounted auditioning for one of the most cool characters to be introduced in the galaxy far, far away in recent times. However, Redmayne admitted to miserably failing in his audition and losing the part. Here is what Redmayne had to say about his childhood dream of appearing in a Star Wars movie and the role he auditioned for in the space opera franchise.
Oscar Winner Eddie Redmayne Talks Failed Audition For Kylo Ren Role in Star Wars
Eddie Redmayne has become synonymous with the role of Newt Scamander in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. However, the actor was once in contention for a role in the Star Wars sequels, which began with 2015’s The Force Awakens.
During an interview with Uproxx, Redmayne revealed that he had auditioned for the role of Kylo Ren in the sequels, but miserably failed at his shot to land the role. Redmayne explained that since the project was a top-secret, he wasn’t given actual lines to read. He stated:
“They gave me like a Star Trek scene – or like something from Pride and Prejudice. It was one of those films. With films that (are) top secret, they don’t give you the actual lines.”
Redmayne later added how he messed up the audition by trying on a ridiculous voice after learning that he was auditioning for the film’s villain.
“So they give you a scene from Pride and Prejudice, but then they tell you you’re auditioning for the baddie. If you’re me, you then put some ridiculous voice on.”
Redmayne made the above statement highlighting the reason his audition tanked and the role later went to Adam Driver. The actor stated he tried several variations of his villain voice, including an impersonation of Darth Vader, but ultimately failed to impress the film’s casting director.
Eddie Redmayne Was Gutted After Dream to Feature in the Star Wars Franchises Was Crushed
While Redmayne could not land a role in the Star Wars franchise, the actor has admitted that it was his childhood dream to feature in the space opera franchise. During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Redmayne spoke about how his terrible audition for The Force Awakens crushed his childhood dream.
“There’s this wonderful casting director called Nina Gold, who I absolutely love. I went in and did this scene and after seven times of trying to play a baddie [Gold] was like, ‘Got anything else, Eddie?’ I said, ‘Okay, that’s a childhood dream crushed.’”
Redmayne made the above statement (via The Independent) about the heartbreak of losing out on one of his childhood dream roles.
However, the actor was cast in the Fantastic Beasts franchise less than a year later. The film emerged as a major commercial success and also made Redmayne a household name. Therefore, it is safe to say that everything worked out for the best. Nonetheless, it would have been interesting to see what Redmayne would have brought to the role of Kylo Ren.
The Star Wars movies and spin-off shows are streaming on Disney+.
