Eddie Redmayne, the star of the upcoming film 'The Theory of Everything', has expressed concern - or rather, fear - over having played the role of science living legend Stephen Hawking.
The film, which was just premiered in the Toronto Film Festival and is based on a biography written by the physicist's first wife, focuses on the scientist's physical deterioration over a lapse of 25 years since he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It stars the 'Les Miserables' British actor as Hawking and Felicity Jones as his wife; it also features talents such as David Thewlis and Emily Watson in supporting roles.
The actor expressed concern to BBC over playing such an iconic figure; however, in its first screenings, the film is already being mentioned around the word "Oscar". As the season for Oscar-bait movies approaches, 'The Theory of Everything' is one of the first strong contenders; particularly Redmayne's performance in it. Director James Marsh in particular seemed proud of the actor's work in the film, adding that actual professor Stephen Hawking had seen the film and "one of the first things he said was he wanted to give us his real voice."
Redmayne, who began his career in the theater and then became known when starring in the miniseries 'The Pillars of the Earth' (based on the bestseller by Ken Follet), has become known as one of the 'it' guys from England, along with Tom Hiddleston and Benedict Cumberbatch; he has also had important roles in 'My Week with Marilyn' and the adaptation of 'Les Miserables'.
This biopic is the first of two films coming up this season about major British scientist of the 20th century, the other being 'The Imitation Game', starring popular English actor Benedict Cumberbatch as code-breaker Alan Turing, and also featuring Keira Knightley. This would mark a trend in films possibly competing for slots in different categories come the award season in January.
