NYTimes - Anatomy of a Scene and TDG Review

The New York Times: Tom Hooper Narrates a Scene From 'The Danish Girl'

This scene shows Lili, living as Einar, at a pivotal moment leading up to that transition. In an interview, 
the director Tom Hooper discussed the scene and some of his ideas for the movie.
(Excerpts from the Tom Hooper interview)

Tom Hooper on the paintings in the film: "At first, I was very purist and said we have to use the real Lili paintings and I won’t accept creating our own. And my production designer Eve Stewart said, fairly close to the shooting, “Tom, you do know that the Lili in the paintings is not Eddie Redmayne and doesn’t look exactly like him.” So there was a moment of going, yes, however pure I am, we are going to need to adapt these paintings so it does reflect Eddie Redmayne’s Lili. So we started to create very faithful versions of the paintings. The only way of really getting it right was by asking Eddie to sit for the painter as Lili Elbe. We recreated all the famous poses of the Lili paintings and Eddie would sit and the painter would work for many hours."

Tom Hooper on Eddie's casting: "Eddie has been drawn to the feminine. He played girl’s parts in school plays. He played Viola in Mark Rylance’s celebrated production of “Twelfth Night.” So he had a body of work of playing women before I approached him to play Lili. He has a quality of emotional transparency, which led me to think about him for Lili. I wanted the audience to go on a journey where step-for-step, beat-for-beat, you’re with Lili and you understand what she’s feeling. One of the things I think he achieves in the film is, with Eddie, Lili’s emergence becomes inevitable, becomes necessary. And that’s because of his extraordinary empathic ability to connect with audiences." 

The New York Times: 

Review: ‘The Danish Girl,’ About a Transgender Pioneer

“The Danish Girl,” Tom Hooper’s new film, is a story of individual struggle that is also a portrait of a marriage. In this respect and others it resembles “The King’s Speech,” Mr. Hooper’s earlier historical drama, a multiple Oscar winner a few years ago....Read more

Pictures: my screenshots from The New York Times video

Fan encounters this weekend - Funny Girl theatre visit in London - new photos

_katiebryson (x) bumped into Eddie Redmayne in Covent Garden on Friday

 courtney_scottx (x) met Eddie at Funny Girl Saturday night!

FUNNY GIRL, starring multi award-winning (Olivier 2011 Legally Blonde, 2012 Flare Path, BAFTA TV Award 

2013 Mrs Biggs) stage and screen star Sheridan Smith, transfers to the Savoy Theatre following its sold out 

run at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 20 November 2015 until 5 March 2016. (x)(x)(x)

The Telegraph review

Sheridan Smith is a friend of Eddie, they were both 

members of the National Youth Music Theatre

My Sheridan Smith related posts:

National Youth Music Theatre alumni

10 March 2011 Flare Path Afterparty

Stand UpTo Cancer campaign

My thoughts on the casting of the 50 shades of Grey movie (2013 April Fools' joke)

Fantastic Beasts news

Eddie Redmayne talks Potter pressure

Eddie Redmayne talks about pressure of being in Harry Potter 'spin-off ' at the premiere of 'The Danish Girl'.

Jane Witherspoon reports. - Reuters interview video (with transcript)...

"I feel so lucky to be a part of it. J.K. Rowling has written and created such extraordinary characters and I love the world she creates, I love her imagination and to get to be a part of it is kind of wonderful but it's interesting because whenever you make a film you do it in a kind of vacuum and you don't really think about judgement - and we're making the film at the moment - but the first images came out and only then did I feel the weight of the fan base and the scrutiny but I love the character of Newt so I'm enjoying playing him."

The Harry Potter Prequel Stars Eddie Redmayne and One Killer Topcoat

By Lisa Corsillo/GQ

"...Eddie Redmayne will star in the film as Newt Scamander and, more importantly, his wardrobe will be majorly on point with expert layering (waistcoat anyone?), enviable cap toe lace-up boots, and a sick teal topcoat. Redmayne has long been a GQ red carpet favorite thanks to a suit game and formalwear skills that are nearly untouchable level. The guy was born for menswear and we’re more than a little stoked to see all the dandy sorcerer s#!+ he’ll wear as Scamander."

Why Daniel Radcliffe is jealous of Eddie Redmayne (x)

From The Wall Street Journal article

Is “Fantastic Beasts” easier to play, without all the physical changes?

I think it may just be my personality, but I always find a reason to worry. So with Stephen Hawking it was about letting down Stephen. With Lili’s story it’s about letting down the trans community. And with “Fantastic Beasts” it’s wanting to do justice to an extraordinary world that J.K. Rowling has created.

Do you have to deal with any live animals or just imaginary creatures?

 There are some live animals. Dan Fogler [who plays Newt’s nonwizard friend] and I had to negotiate quite some epically-sized snakes the other day. We went, “Wait a second, can’t we CGI those in?”

Going down to Liverpool with ‘Fantastic Beasts’ movie  (Pottermore)

Phwoar. Travelling to Liverpool with the cast and crew of Fantastic Beasts feels like running away with the circus, though happily there are fewer clowns. It’s a huge operation, getting all the wigs, coats, stunt mattresses, posters, mannequins, sequined gowns, cameras, make-up tools, vintage cars, fake snow, tents and people to a new location. Huge....Read more

Excerpt: "Inside, Liverpool City Council staff try to get on with their day jobs knowing that Eddie Redmayne is filming downstairs. They tiptoe by, whispering, and I catch a few phrases: ‘The one who got the Oscar for that Stephen Hawking film... Yes, the young one with the freckles... Something about Harry Potter, I think... He’s just gorgeous... Oh, definitely wizards...’ 

 Eddie, meanwhile, is quiet. He paces slightly between takes, smiles at everyone softly, sits in his black canvas chair and ducks upstairs to the green room for some solace now and then. He slips his jacket on moments before running in front of the camera, and slips it off again gently when he comes out. He and Katherine whisper to each other, maybe it’s their lines, maybe they’re telling secrets, who knows? 

 There’s something so right about Eddie and Katherine. They’re absolutely perfect for this movie, and I cannot wait for you to see the scene they filmed today. It’s a dramatic one. Involved a lot of running…"

Make-up and hair on the set of ‘Fantastic Beasts’ - moodboard (Pottermore)

‘Fantastic Beasts' has its own New York City (Pottermore)

Riddle me this: I’m standing on the streets of New York but I haven’t left England. I can see pretzels but I can’t smell them and I’m definitely not allowed to touch them. Where am I? 

I’m on the set of Fantastic Beasts, of course. Wearing a hard hat, a neon yellow safety waistcoat and muddy black boots. Didn’t I tell you showbiz was glamorous?...Read more

'Fantastic Beasts' new Liverpool set report highlights Jon Voight, Ezra Miller

More details from the Liverpool shot last month for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released via Pottermore, where their correspondent checked out the set and watched stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller and Jon Voight shoot scenes at St. George's Hall and Cunard Building....Read more

Mugglenet: “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” 

Roundup: On Location Again – and Jenn Murray Talks Filming

..."I got cast in July, began August, wraps end of January. […] Because with the Harry Potter [films], they had the novels to refer to, so people knew what was going to come up […], but this is an original screenplay, and nobody knows what it’s about, really, so I don’t want to mess up."
.."The first day was really scary. We walked onto a big set, and Eddie Redmayne was there. I’ve watched his work for years. I remember him in Tess of the d’Urbervilles, and just you know, when you look at someone’s face and you want to hear to their story, and he had that, whatever that was. And Samantha Morton… I’ve admired her for so many years because of all her choices, and she’s a real actress. Took risks, was very courageous, and yet you knew nothing about her, which is what I admired the most. So I was standing there with these people, and I was just thinking, ‘Don’t get fired.’ But it was magic. It was worth it."

The film has also gone on location again, this time relocating to Cardington Sheds, in Bedfordshire, UK. The Cardington Sheds are old RAF sheds, which were used to build airships. The spaces are regularly used by films, including Star Wars: The Force Awakens – and now Fantastic Beasts. (x)

(x) more photos here (1) (2)

THE magical world of JK Rowling has Bedfordshire under its spell, as it is believed that scenes from the new Harry Potter spin-off film are being shot in Cardington Sheds. Warner Brothers vans arrived on the site last month, and it is now understood they are there for the upcoming movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them...
Read more

What’s that heading into Shed 2 at Cardington? Rumour has it film crews have taken over the iconic hangar to film the latest JK Rowling film, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them....  Read more

Less than a year left till the release of 'Fantastic beasts and where to find them' on 18. Nov. 2016