Eddie Redmayne certainly looks ready for the Academy Awards here.
But the British thesp, who is already an Oscar frontrunner for his multifaceted performance as physicist Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, says that the recognition has been nice—but that certainly wasn't the point of taking on such a demanding role.
"Please don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful compliment," said Redmayne, styled by Dan May and looking all sorts of dapper in photos by Tom Craig for the Global Men's Style Destination MR PORTER.COM. "I just hope it serves to get the story out to more people."
The wheelchair-bound Hawking, who famously communicates via voice machine, was diagnosed with a delibilitating motor neuron disease when he was in his early twenties. His early life, including his relationship with first wife Jane Hawking (played by Felicity Jones), is at the center of The Theory of Everything.
And yes, figuring out how to embody the physical frailties and mental strengths of Hawking was ultimately exhausting for the film's star.
"The first scene was at the start of the film, pre-diagnosis. The second was when Stephen was using two walking sticks," Redmayne recalled. "By the third, he was in his second wheelchair. I was terrified. It was like I'd been asked to write a sentence in permanent ink starting with one word at the beginning, one at the middle and one at the end. I was having a complete meltdown – it was four in the morning, I was getting picked up at five, and I hadn't slept. I was thinking, ‘I can't start a job like this.'"
"After inhabiting so many different personas, both mentally and physically, I suppose I needed to take some time off just to remember who I am," he added.
While he's been obligated to make the scene after taking that timeout in order to promote the movie (and accept his honors), the Golden Globe- and SAG Award-nominated star has managed to balance some important personal stuff along with his professional commitments. On Monday, he and longtime love Hannah Bagshawe got married in Somerset, England.
All was well worth the stress, of course, because—no matter what the Academy decides come 2015—Redmayne can rest assured that he did the man himself justice.
"I met him again just before he saw the film," Redmayne recalled having dinner with Hawking a few months ago. "I said, ‘Stephen, I hope you enjoy it, and please let me know what you think.' A minute or two passed as he typed away with his eye-tracking software. Then, in that famous, vaguely robotic voice, he replied: ‘I will let you know what I think. Good, or otherwise'."
The 32-year-old actor, who also starred in Les Misérables and My Dinner With Marilyn, has since told E! News that both Stephen and Jane Hawking enjoyed the film.
"I'm not gonna lie, the pressure felt pretty intense," he told us at the Hollywood Film Awards last month. "The fact that they enjoyed the film was a great award."