Addicted to Eddie: C&TH Magazine interview with new photos

Monday, January 30, 2017

‘You have no expectations as to what it might be,’ says Eddie about his OBE.

‘We arrived [at Windsor Castle] and we went up the longest, straightest road in the

world and there was fog across it. It was beautiful. Inside people were dressed in

blue cloaks with scarlet collars, and you got to meet all the soldiers, and the castle

looked amazing with all its Christmas decorations. It was all a bit overwhelming.’

On becoming a father…‘It’s such a cliché, but the only negative is the sleep

deprivation. One night Iris slept all the way through and we were like, “Our lives

have returned!”, only we got sucker punched the next night by being woken at all

hours. But despite that, you can go into her room mildly furious and then there’s

this massive grin waiting for you and all is forgiven.’ Eddie wrapped up filming

for Fantastic Beasts last March so has been very much around for Iris’ first few

months, but whereas many new parents might not dare leave the house for a while,

he and Hannah were happy to fly out to the Rio Olympics with Iris at just eight

weeks old. ‘There was a slightly worrying moment when we were on the plane

with lots of Olympians and there was the fear that Iris would keep them up and

screw up their medal chances, but they seemed to do ok!’

On art & style… Away from the screen, Eddie is a collector of art ‘in the most gentle

way’. ‘I’ve got a couple of prints and drawings but nothing of any value. I’m quite badly

educated on contemporary art, although we do always go to Frieze Masters, which I really

enjoy.’ And where did he get his best-dressed-list style from? ‘I definitely have not always

been – or will always be – a well-dressed person. A lot of it came down to the Burberry

campaign I did. I went for a fitting and the clothes were so tightly tailored that I was like

“whoa!”, but when I saw the photos I realised that the suit looked so much better so that

changed my take on tailoring.’ He’s a fan of Prada, naturally, but also name checks Gucci,

McQueen and Hardy Amies as his go-to designers

Eddie and Hannah live in Borough, south London, and he likes ‘the fact that it’s really

central but can also be very quiet at weekends’. He loves going to the theatre (the

Young Vic being a particular favourite) and museums, but mostly his free time is spent

‘keeping his child alive’. The couple also rent a ‘battered old farmhouse’ in the Midlands,

which they’re slowly bringing back to life.

Would we ever lose him to Hollywood? ‘I didn’t love LA at first because if you’re

used to being someone who walks, you’re screwed. But after going for 12 or 13 years

I have a great affection for it, although, as an actor, your outlook is coloured by

whether you’re having success or not because it’s such a one-industry place.’

Eddie Redmayne is an ambassador for OMEGA watches and

the face of the OMEGA Constellation Globemaster collection.