Eddie Redmayne - from 'miserable' to A-list star 2
One of the first audiences to see The Theory of Everything – a film about the life of Stephen Hawking – was this brilliant scientist.
When the movie ended, the nurse taking care of Hawking had to wipe away the tears rolling down his cheeks while Hawking tried to send a message to the film crew: `The movie is very close to reality.
British actor – Eddie Redmayne.
Come from a prestigious background
Born in London in 1982, Eddie Redmayne has a family to be proud of.
From here, this boy with a gentle smile and freckled face began his acting career on the theater stage.
In the film industry, audiences began to know the name Redmayne thanks to the Oscar-nominated film My Week with Marilyn (2011), but in fact he began acting in films in 2006. Works such as The Good Shepherd,
Redmayne’s initial success was being cast as the lover Marius in the film version of Les Miserables (2012).
Les Miserables was a huge success both artistically (8 Oscar nominations) and revenue ($441 million worldwide), but it was still a collective success and people still think of Hugh Jackman.
Train hard to play the role of a disabled genius
Based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Hawking – Stephen Hawking’s first wife, The Theory of Everything tells the story of Stephen Hawking and Jane’s relationship since they first met at Cambridge.
Eddie Redmayne portrays the character Stephen Hawking in the movie `The Theory of Everything`.
Before accepting the invitation to participate in the project about Hawking, Redmayne only knew about the reputation of this genius physicist like everyone else and had never once learned about his life or his works.
He once had to listen to a doctor diagnose that he only had `two years to live` and that only his love for Jane and science gave this scientist `the will to fight for life.`
Even though his body was stuck to a wheelchair, Hawking’s intelligent mind still reached out, helping people gain more knowledge about the universe.
It is not an easy job, as this actor himself admitted: `I gave up science subjects when I was 14 years old.
Understanding some of Hawking’s achievements is just the beginning, the real challenge only comes when Redmayne has to learn how to talk and express like the professor.
At the above clinic, Redmayne watched documentary footage of Hawking in the 1980s and these were invaluable documents, because everything he could find before were just photos.
For four months straight, Eddie Redmayne watched YouTube videos about Stephen Hawking and learned how to control the few facial muscles the professor had, under the guidance of dancer Reynolds.
Finally, Redmayne went to meet Hawking just a few days after The Theory of Everything was officially filmed.
Shine brightly into an A-class star
Cinema history has recognized Daniel Day-Lewis with his classic role as a disabled person in My Left Foot (1989), and now Redmayne’s transformation in The Theory of Everything will also be mentioned by many generations to come.
Stephen Hawking and his first wife Jane in real life (pictured left) and in the movie played by Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.
If in the first half of the film, viewers saw a vibrant Hawking riding a bicycle and flirting with Jane (Felicity Jones), then in the second half it is a completely different Hawking.
He excellently portrayed the image of Professor Hawking from the time he was healthy until the fight against fate to become one of the greatest brains in the world.
The Theory of Everything really changed Redmayne’s career and showed that the two-year break between Les Miserables to prepare for this work was not wasted.
At the upcoming Oscars, this actor is also on the list of 5 final actors nominated for the Leading Actor category and is the top candidate, alongside Birdman’s Michael Keaton.
From a theater actor to a model for Burberry, Eddie Redmayne is now one of the most anticipated British actors.
Thinh Joey
