Eddie Redmayne opened up about an awkward moment during his and Taylor Swift’s screen test for Les Misérables.
The Golden Globe winner, 42, who recently looked dapper at the premiere of his upcoming series, admitted he ate something before his 2011 audition that made him want to “stay away” from the Mirrorball hitmaker.
At the time, he had already been cast as Marius and she was auditioning for the role of Eponine and called their joint screen test an “amazing experience.”
She recalled: “I’ll never forget it because, first of all, I didn’t know (Taylor) and she had been taken to look like Eponine, who is this street urchin.” Then you meet one of the most glamorous women in the world and she arrives with mud on her teeth and looks like a street urchin.
‘The director had us on the floor and we were singing this love duet. I didn’t realize it was going to be so intimate. I had just been at a pizza place and I had stuffed some garlic bread in my mouth, so I remember they wanted chemistry and I was trying to play chemistry with Taylor while keeping my distance.
Eddie Redmayne admitted he ate something before his and Taylor Swift’s screen test for Les Miserables that made him want to ‘stay away’ from her; both seen separately in 2024
However, the role was not intended for the star, who recently resumed her Eras Tour in Miami, as it ended up going to breakout actress Samantha Barks.
The hit film is set in 19th century France and tells the story of former prisoner Jean Valjean, who breaks his parole and is pursued by his nemesis and former guard Javert before seeking atonement.
In 2022, Swift called her screen test with the Tony Award-winning actor a ‘nightmare’ during an interview with The Graham Norton Show.
She explained that she was competing for the roles of Cozzette, which went to Amanda Seyfried, and Eponine, but had a hard time being placed as a regular character due to her vocal range and appearance.
The blonde beauty recalled, “I did some auditions and went to New York and stuff, and I think it had been established that I had more of the look of Cozzette, but I had the vocal range of Eponine.” It was established that I was there for a good while, not a long time.’
The casting directors had invited her to London for the screen test with Redmayne, but upon her arrival things went downhill.
Swift confirmed that she had her teeth painted brown and dark circles drawn under her eyes to evoke the character’s “near-death” look before meeting the team.
“I thought, ‘This has immediately become a nightmare for me,'” he admitted.
Luckily, she said Redmayne was “nice” to her despite meeting for the first time while wearing the unattractive makeup.
“I had just been at a pizza place and I had stuffed some garlic bread in my mouth… and I was trying to play chemistry with Taylor while keeping my distance,” he said; seen with Amanda Seyfried in 2012
The role of Eponine was not intended for Taylor, who recently resumed her Eras Tour in Miami, as it ended up going to breakout actress Samantha Barks; Amanda, Eddie and Samantha seen in 2012
Swift called her screen test with the Tony Award-winning actor a ‘nightmare’ during an interview with The Graham Norton Show; seen in 2011
Upon its release in 2012, Les Misérables grossed $149.3 million in the United States and Canada and totaled $293,489,539 worldwide.
With a budget of $61 million, the musical film won three Academy Awards and received several other honors.
Taylor Swift is currently on the final leg of her Eras Tour, which will end on December 8, 2024 in Vancouver, British Columbia.