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Eddie Redmayne is an acclaimed actor who has tackled many roles throughout the course of his career. From the beloved Stephen Hawking to his latest turn in The Good Nurse, the Oscar-winner has tackled a wide variety of parts and genres. But many know him best as Newt Scamander. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Redmayne opened up about his work in the Fantastic Beasts movies, revealing how acting in the series helped to fulfill a “childhood dream.”
Eddie Redmayne stars in the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise
The Harry Potter franchise spawned the notable Fantastic Beasts series of films. The first movie in the franchise, released in 2016, is titled Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. With a star-studded cast, the film drew even more fans into the wizarding world that has become so beloved.
Redmayne played Newt Scamander, the Wizarding World’s most talented Magizoologist in the film. He reprised his role in the sequels, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.
According to IMDb, the Fantastic Beasts film series counts as Redmayne’s most critically and commercially successful film to date. The movies introduced him to a new and helped the British-born star go to the next level in his career. Additionally, playing Newt helped Redmayne fulfill a “childhood dream,” as he recently revealed to Vanity Fair.
Eddie Redmayne said ‘Fantastic Beasts’ fulfills ‘a childhood dream’
In his Vanity Fair interview, Redmayne took fans through a timeline of his career, including his role in the Fantastic Beasts franchise. “I love Newt, I loved him as a character from the second I read it,” the actor shared. “He was eccentric, he was unique, he had extraordinary empathy, and he was passionate. Passion is an interesting thing. It’s a thing that’s not often celebrated.”
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Redmayne continued. “When we started on the first Fantastic Beasts, there were things that were very stressful. Like having a wand is like your childhood dream, but suddenly you’re presented with this thing and you get complete stage fright. I don’t have a clue what to do with it.”
Redmayne revealed that he and his co-stars created a “wand school” to get more familiar with their props. He also described what a thrill it was to welcome new actors onto the set and watch them get introduced to their wands. “It was an amazing thing to get to work with these guys and on a scale that was unlike anything I’d ever seen,” Redmayne said. “My main takeaway from those movies was just this wonderful group of actors and crew.” He added, “Invention was just spilling out of them.”
What’s next for the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ franchise?
The future of the Fantastic Beasts franchise remains in flux. From the upheavals with the cast to the scandals involving series creator J.K. Rowling. But there are still certain that fans would love to see more of the magical world and the characters who inhabit it.
For Redmayne, who has admitted his love for the character of Newt on more than one occasion, the films gave him the chance to explore new sides of himself and discover a world that fans around the world find completely fascinating.
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