Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne says his life can be normal - as long as he doesn't make eye contact with fans. The 42-year-old actor now has worldwide fame as one of the biggest British names in Hollywood but he insists he can live a "totally normal life" as long as he doesn't look at anyone directly when he is out and about.
He said: "Well, I know people who pull away from normality, but I live in London and get around like everyone else. I sometimes get stopped for photos, but the other choice is to travel everywhere in cars, which is bloody expensive and takes forever. You can either live behind gates or just pulverise through a bit.
"I can live a totally normal life, so long as I don’t make eye contact. The second you do, people recognise you — but, for me, you can make of fame what you want."
Eddie was training in spycraft for his latest role in Sky TV series 'The Day of the Jackal' and was fine until he was spotted by a fan who wanted to take a photograph.
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Marcell Piti)He told The Sunday Times' Culture magazine: "I was doing brilliantly...until a tourist asked me for a selfie."
Eddie also looked back on his variety of roles in the interview, which included winning an Oscar playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything in 2014 and in the same 12 months starring in flop space opera film Jupiter Ascending.
Asked what he learns from such extremes, he said: “Luck. How the edge between success and failure is gossamer thin. In one film I played an operatic space oligarch and gave it 1,026 per cent. The other was The Theory of Everything. And what one learns from their proximity is that it’s all madness. All you can do is give it your best shot. You’ll win some, lose some.”
The Les Miserables star - who was educated privately at Eton House - is also aware that more working class are tending to break the mould in Hollywood and thinks that it is a "good thing" that there has been a shift in recent years.
He said: "There’s a strong conversation happening about who has a seat at the table and about specific groups of people who’ve had less access to opportunity. That’s a good thing. In an ideal world everybody should be able to play any part — but we need a level playing field."
* The Day of the Jackal is on Sky and Now from Nov 7
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