Eddie Redmayne Says He Helps Pay Drama Students' Rent, Admits He Was "Desperate" to Be in Harry Potter

Fantastic Beasts star says it's "impossibly" expensive to live in London

By Francesca Bacardi Jan 05, 2016 4:42 PMTags
Eddie RedmaynePA Images/Sipa USA

Eddie Redmayne, the star of the highly anticipated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is making magic happen in real life.

Over the past couple of years Redmayne has seen tremendous success, winning an Oscar for The Theory of Everything and potentially receiving a nomination for his most recent film, The Danish Girl. As a result, the British star isn't struggling financially, but he knows how hard it can be on drama students living in his home city of London, so sometimes he helps them out.

In an interview with GQ, he said the fact that his parents lived in London was "the greatest privilege" because he didn't have to pay rent after graduating. Now, a successful, high-paid actor, he says he likes to give back to those who are struggling.

"I get letters from people trying to go to drama school and needing to pay their rent," he told the magazine. "And so that's something I occasionally do. It's impossibly expensive to live in London."

Watch: Eddie Redmayne's Oscar Has a Happy Home!

When he was building up his career, Redmayne was "desperate" to nab a role in one of the most popular movie franchises: Harry Potter. But it never happened.

"For years I was always like, in the Harry Potter films, there was a whole ginger family, and I never got an audition. And I was like, come on, it's outrageous!" he explained to ITV. "So I was desperate. Every actor in England was in the Harry Potter films, but I never got the call. Now I'm having my moment."

He is, of course, referencing his lead role in the new Harry Potter prequel franchise, in which he plays magizoologist Newt Scamander. His exciting new role might be his "moment," but he and his wife, Hannah Bagshawe, are going to have a collective moment later this year, as they're expecting their first child together! A source confirmed the news to us on Christmas Eve.

Redmayne and his wife were married during a super private ceremony in Somerset, England on Dec. 15, 2014, and she accompanied him to the Academy Awards when he won his first Oscar. Suffice it to say these two have had an exciting year and will have an even more exciting 2016! No wonder these two are still "very much" in the honeymoon phase, even one year after their wedding day.