The Filmmaker's Guide to the Best Performances: Eddie Redmayne

Eddie Redmayne was born on the 6th of January, 1982 in Westminster, London, England. From a very early age, he was into his theatre and plays - performing everything from Shakespeare to the modern play. Not only did he do theatre, but obviously we know him because of his transition into film. By 2006, Redmayne was at lead in the film "Like Minds" (2006) with Toni Collette (Hereditary (2014)) after showing a great performance in "The Good Shepherd" (2006) alongside Angelina Jolie and Matt Damon. Amassing a great amount of fame for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the film "The Theory of Everything" (2014), Redmayne went on to win his Best Actor Academy Award.

A versatile and serious actor, Eddie Redmayne is one of the few great modern actors that made their name in the 21st century. He has portrayed many different roles and continues to build his repertoire by taking on new and exciting challenges in acting. These include not only the key player in Rowling's new universe - Newt Scamander, but also continuing on stage he has portrayed (and very well I may add) Richard II in the Shakespeare production of the eponymous play.

Today, Eddie Redmayne has been in over 20 films and has some on the roll to continue with in the future. He has also been on television with most of us remembering how he starred alongside Clemence Poesy in "Birdsong" (2012) and how he portrayed one hell of a character through his incredible acting that made the novel adaptation to TV - "Pillars of the Earth" interesting. You know you're good when you can make "Pillars of the Earth" interesting.

We say a grand Happy Birthday to Eddie Redmayne on this day as he approaches another great year of amazing films with "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (2020) due to come out this year (I am very, very excited). Overall, he's a great actor and this article is an appreciation of everything he has done in his time. So here we go, here's the top 5 greatest performances by Eddie Redmayne. Oh, and this is opinion based obviously, so your own opinions are still valid. If you don't agree then please, write your own and explain where the greatest performances should go. For now though, I wish Eddie Redmayne a very happy birthday and I really do hope that his coming films are really good. I'm so very looking forward to "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (2020).

Top 5 Performances by Eddie Redmayne:

5. Colin in "My Week With Marilyn" (2011)

In "My Week With Marilyn" (2011), Eddie Redmayne portrays Colin Clark, the aspiring filmmaker who hangs out with Marilyn Monroe whilst she tries to perform with Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) in "The Prince and the Showgirl" (1957). His performance was so good, his dialogue was very fluent and the way he portrayed this extremely sophisticated 1950s character was pretty brilliant. I think it is clearly one of his greatest performances because of how natural it seemed on him - the role really definitely suit him a lot.

Have a look at the trailer:

4. Newt in "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (2016)

Newt Scamander is probably a role that I can honestly say was written for Eddie Redmayne. He portrays it in such a natural and incredible way that makes Newt interesting to kids because he can do magic and he's really clever (so he's a good role model too) and interesting, psychologically, to adults. We have a grown man who likes to talk to magical animals and look after them - sounds like Dr. Doolittle to me. Eddie Redmayne's Newt Scamander couldn't really be better if it tried - a truly unforgettable performance.

Check out the trailer:

3. Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything" (2014)

Eddie Redmayne's performance in "The Theory of Everything (2014) earned him the Best Actor Academy Award, beating the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Keaton to the award. Redmayne's role was to portray basically the smartest man on the planet and, it was not only very challenging - but given the fact that the guy was still alive at the time this was being filmed - there was obviously a lot of pressure. At least in films like Oliver Stone's JFK (1991), Jim Garrison was already dead and so was Christy Brown when Daniel Day-Lewis won the Best Actor Oscar after he portrayed him in My Left Foot (1989). I think the added pressure made Eddie Redmayne step up a bit, trying to be better than he had been in the past. He not only earned the Oscar nomination, but he earned the Oscar itself. There's something about portraying someone who is still alive at the time you portray them that is daunting as hell.

Take a look at the trailer...

2. Alex in "Like Minds" (2006)

This film really f*cked with me the first time I watched it. It was just so very psychological that I couldn't really understand how it all just fit together until I watched it a few times. You don't really understand what's going on upon first watch, when you really get into it though - that's when you understand every single psychological nuance that happens in the film. Every single mind game unfolds and opens up to you. Alex is a complex character, the son of the headmaster of a boarding school, he stirs a hatred for the boy sent to live in his room - Nigel. After a while, there's those mind games, the murders and the very disturbing nature of it all. Eddie Redmayne was freaking awesome in this film - he was just plain scary.

Don't believe me? Check out the trailer...

1. Einar/Lili in "The Danish Girl" (2015)

The Danish Girl (2015) is not only number one on this list but it is also one of my top five favourite movies of all time. I love the emotion, I love the story, I love the visually stunning nature of the historicity of the film. It's set in the mid-1920s in Copenhagen and the entire film revolves around Einar Wegener, the painter. When she finally becomes herself, it is such a great moment in the film - her persistence just radiates through the screen. Relentless, Lili proceeds on and on, and she eventually becomes the woman she has always dreamed of. The story of Lili Elbe has always been a breathtaking one ever since she first existed. She was a true inspiration and I think Eddie Redmayne would've felt quite privileged to portray her on screen. She is a true and pure inspiration of what womanhood is - it is exactly what you feel it is. Whatever you feel it is. That is the quintessential essence of womanhood and Lili Elbe, she embodied all of this and more. The film is an incredible account of her talent, her intelligence and most importantly, her person and identity. I think that if Lili were alive today she would be very impressed with Eddie Redmayne's emotional performance of her.

Check out the trailer to this instant classic...