I've developed a huge crush on Eddie - NY Times...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/f...the-talk-of-the-town.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Eddie Redmayne, the Talk of the Town
Emily Berl for The New York Times
Eddie Redmayne.
By BROOKS BARNES
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James Fisher/Universal Pictures
Eddie Redmayne, in the role of Marius, with Samantha Barks in the film Les Misérables.
THERE were bigger movie stars milling around the Sunset Tower here last weekend, but this night was all about Eddie.
He was tucked in a dimly lighted corner of the hotels plush restaurant, but hiding is impossible in Hollywood when youve got heat. And so
Eddie Redmayne, who plays Marius in the film adaptation of Les Misérables and has modeled for Burberry, was politely interrupted by one power player after another.
The Guilt Trip producer John Goldwyn (grandson of the G in MGM) dropped by the table, for instance, to tease Mr. Redmayne about being a boldface name on a party invitation he had just received. I circled it, Mr. Goldwyn said, and in fact I think I may have drawn a heart next to it.
Ah, yes. Moviedom has a new crush.
Les Misérables, starring Hugh Jackman and
Anne Hathaway, doesnt arrive in theaters until Christmas Day. But Universal Pictures has been holding a blitz of buzz-building screenings across the country, and the resulting chatter particularly among Oscar pundits has invariably included some version of this: Hugh and Annie are great and everything, but, wow, that freckle-faced guy who plays Marius really jumps off the screen. With that, an awards and publicity conveyor belt roared to life under Mr. Redmaynes feet, throwing him a bit off balance.
Universal started taking out for your consideration ads for Mr. Redmayne, who will turn 31 next month. Universals awards strategists and publicists have also been flying him around the country (and globe) Los Angeles to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, London, Los Angeles, New York and back to Los Angeles within a 17-day span to walk the red carpet and speak at Q. and A. sessions for awards voters.
What was it like to ride on Hugh Jackmans bicep through that sewer scene? one person wanted to know. (Answer: My girlfriend, Hannah, asked me the same thing.) An audience member at a different session asked, Can you sum up Les Misérables in a haiku? (Answer: Points for creativity, but you realize its based on a 1,900-page novel, right?)
The Hollywood Reporter last week had the British-born Mr. Redmayne listed as a
major threat in the supporting actor race. Eddie Redmayne, Not
Russell Crowe, Could Be Oscar Contender From Les Miz, read a recent headline on
Showbiz411.com.
My mind is a frazzle, he said over dinner, taking a big sip of a Belvedere and tonic. He paused to stare at the food in front of him. Look at this. I have ordered tuna tartare and chicken soup. The waiter must think Im some kind of fruit loop.
Mr. Redmayne won a Tony in 2010 for best featured actor in a play (Red) and
was seen skinny- dipping with
Michelle Williams last Oscar season in My Week With Marilyn. But this Cambridge-educated actor is getting his first taste of real stardom and all of the perks and hassles that come along with it. That conveyor belt moves fast, and Mr. Redmayne, with his mix of innocence and ambition, by his own admission is running on it with Bambi legs.
On the one hand, hes getting big-time star treatment. For the photo shoot for this article, the Les Misérables machine hired a groomer to make sure his hair was messy in just the right way. The Sunset Tower upgraded him to a two-floor suite, replete with a fireplace and private veranda. I came into that room and my knees buckled, he said. (On a previous stay, he immediately fired up Skype on his laptop to show his sumptuous digs to his girlfriend back in London.) Scripts are pouring in; his name has been floated for roles in some of the biggest movies on the horizon, including the sequel to this years The Amazing Spider-Man and Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy.
Les Misérables hasnt opened it will almost definitely be seen by more people than all of his previous movies combined and already British tabloid reporters are picking over his personal habits. The world now knows that he is colorblind, prefers shower gel to soap, suffers from razor burn and wears Tom Ford Black Orchid cologne. He enjoys tickling the ivories on his baby grand piano in the dead of night when he has insomnia, according to a news source called Comtex. (Relevant, Reliable, Real-Time.)
On the other hand, Mr. Redmayne has not yet calcified into a celebrity. Oh, he can read an audience with the best of them. When he sat down in that cozy corner table at the Sunset Tower, he turned to me and joked, Are we going to play footsie? (My glasses fogged up.) But he retains a wide-eyed, pinch-me-is-this-real demeanor. He does not employ an assistant. He wanted to pay the check at dinner. The days he spent working at a pub pulling pints after college are still fresh in his mind.
Forget trying to get him talking about little gold men: Mr. Redmayne truly seems skeptical that the masses will buy tickets to see Les Misérables, which has been seen on stage by an estimated 60 million people in 43 countries. You really think so? he asked Mr. Goldwyn, who reassured him that it was going to be a blockbuster. Im a pessimist in life, or maybe a self-protectionist, Mr. Redmayne explained later. At each point of my career, I think: It will never happen. It will never happen. Ive been scarred by getting my hopes up for things as an actor.
Its probably a smart strategy when it comes to his Oscar buzz. A nomination is a long shot, in part because supporting actor is an especially crowded field this year. But Mr. Redmayne has the element of discovery going for him.
The awards process has become so prepackaged strategists, studios and pundits basically decide over the summer who everyone will be cooing about come Oscar season that voters get excited when someone comes along unexpectedly and delivers a great performance. It reminds them of why they came to Hollywood in the first place.
Mr. Redmayne won Marius, the musicals romantic lead, by using his iPhone to make a video of himself singing the characters big solo, Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. Via his talent agency (and without his knowledge), the rough video made its way to Les Misérables producers and Tom Hooper, the movies director. Mr. Hooper had worked with Mr. Redmayne before on Elizabeth I, a 2005 mini-series starring Helen Mirren, and because of that experience wasnt entirely convinced.
And Mr. Redmayne couldnt blame him. When auditioning for Elizabeth I, he was asked by Mr. Hooper if he could ride a horse. He lied and said yes. Two weeks later, Im in Lithuania in spurs atop this massive black stallion, Mr. Redmayne said. Im meant to lead a charge. There are rain machines and Helen Mirren is standing there. Tom yelled Action! Lets just say it didnt go very well.
This time, he promised Mr. Hooper that he wasnt lying. He could sing. Really. Trust me. Mr. Hoopers response: The last time I took your word for something, Redmayne, you almost killed Helen Mirren.
Nobody doubts him now.
t:
Poor Gavroche!
