When asked by director Tom Hooper if he had been on a horse before, Eddie Redmayne answered that he had. According to the WENN piece on Hollywood.com, the audition in question was for the miniseries “Elizabeth I.” Redmayne clarified during the interview that he had been on a horse only once as a child, explaining for context, “I had been on a horse when I was four and was mostly trying to get it to go!” He didn’t tell Hooper this, however, and the director took that to mean that the “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” star would have no trouble horseback riding for the role.
As Redmayne explained to Vanity Fair, “Then, about two weeks later, we were in Lithuania, and I was having spurs attached to my feet and I was on top of this gigantic stallion, and I was just like, ‘At what point do I admit that I’ve actually … ?'” Fortunately for the British actor, he didn’t lose the role. He told the outlet, “I was sent to horse camp immediately, and I don’t think I’ve lied in an audition since.”
