New Year`s Eve with Eddie Redmayne

[hope1972]

A little pretentious I know, but we had him on stage for two and a half hours. The audience` reception made him glow with delight at the end. It was priceless – to see him so happy.
Initially I wanted to get the tickets for another date, but by the time I got to the internet with my credit card on June the 6th I only could get the needed number for Dec 31st and I was upset about that. Eddie had two shows that day and I thought he`d be too tired to talk to us or be in a hurry to go celebrate NY. Afterall, he doesn`t have to talk to people after the show. But he was so generous with his attention, I found it remarkable. He was in a hurry to celebrate, but he still signed and took pictures with anyone who wanted. And he was still glowing with happiness all the time.
- May I ask you a couple of questions? - I asked while he was signing for me.
- Sure – he stops and looks directly at me, waiting, as if there is no one else around. I didn`t expect him to do this I thought he`d be still signing for other people while answering.



- In Powder Blue your character had all those drawings on the wall..
- Yes – Still looking into my eyes, smiling
- Did you do them?
- Yes – Smiling with pleasure at me



- Was it your idea to do them or that was in the script?
- A little bit of both
- Thank you! May I have a picture with you?
- Of course
Anne:
- Eddie, we got a little something for you from Russia
- Oh, really?
Anne gives him the book we got on sights of Russia. He accepts it happily
- Wow! Thank you! – And he kisses her on the chick *ok, I was running around the town at the last day before the trip looking for an interesting book for him and she got the kiss, cool! Call it unfair! :)*
I`m still standing there waiting, while he signs for other girl and gets in conversation with her. Then I get a little bit scared that he forgets about the photo and runs away. And we all know how fast he runs. So I decide that I need to be a little bit more active. I hug him around his waist tight.
- Eddie, I want a picture - (was it rather rude? I`m sorry)
- Yes-yes, what camera? – he was cool about it and so patient, ok
- That one
- Oh, a professional camera! – he smiles at it for the pic.



- Thank you! – I let him go and run see what my friend took with my camera – this equipment is hard to handle for an unprepared operator and most of the time I want to kill that poor person afterwards. But the pic is almost perfect, at least it`s in focus, that`s the best thing I can ask.
We are ready to leave when I remember we also have a Russian Matreshka doll for him. Give it to Anne who catches Eddie rushing past us to join his friends who went forward. Eddie happily shows the doll back to us:
- Oh! Russian girl!
I remember another question I wanted to ask him and I call after him
- Eddie!
- Yes! – he stops and turns around, smiling. Looking into my eyes again – priceless!
- Are you going to be in Red in Los Angeles?
- I`m not sure yet
- But there is a possibility?
- Yes, there is a possibility – he repeats as if after me
- OK, thank you! – I smile back at him. And he rushes after his friends.
That wasn`t all. I didn`t ask him another question I wanted to ask. So I came to Donmar a few days later an hour before the show in hope that he might show up at work around that time. That was my last night in London. And meeting him before the show was the only way, because we had tickets for War Horse at New London Theatre which was just 10 minutes from Donmar by foot. So I had an hour of doing nothing in the area anyway. There were also a few men in their fifties, collecting autographes from the cast members. I stood by them.
I didn`t wait for long. Eddie showed up in his black coat this time, wrapped in his thoughts, walked fast past us. But we called for him. He looked back at the men, then at me and probably decided that the lady goes first (or maybe I was standing closer to him I don`t know).
- Eddie, hi, may I ask you one more question?
- Sure – He takes a step towards me, standing so close.
- Do we have a chance to see that movie that you`ve done with Paul Dano?
- Oh! With Paul Dano! – he steps back a little – That`s a good question! I haven`t seen it myself yet! - He smiles
- I saw Paul in September in New York
- Yes *I`m not telling him I know that*
- And he is so busy with work!
- Yes! I keep my eyes on him too. *yeah, if someone is making a movie with Eddie you have to keep your eyes on them until they release it, right?*
- He is still editing it – He gesticulates wonderfully while speaking. His long fingers flying over my head (I`m 5.1 mind you) - But that`s a very small short film. I hope to see it, I had a great time doing it with Paul and Zoe, we are friends for a long time.
- I hope to see it one day!
Then he decides to sign for the guys and they give him one photo after another like a dozen of them. He just signs patiently one pic after another. One of the pics happened to be the one I liked a lot – Eddie as Alex from A Clockwork Orange by Simon Fowler – an unexpected character for him to portray I thought. And I had questions about that photo, I`d forget to ask if I didn`t see that pic at that very moment.
- Did you do any other characters for that photoshoot? – I keep shooting questions at him
- No! *too bad I hoped for a set or something*
- Whose idea it was for you to do that character?
- The magazine that ordered the photo
- That was great!
- Thank you!
- Thank you for the show the other night, it was great!
- Thank you – he smiles at me
- And you were amazing
- You are very kind – he grins shyly
I think I have to leave now and just let him go about his business.
- Break a leg! – I say quietly (I`m not sure if that`s the right line to say) and start walking away.
- Thank you! - He smiles
He was so sweet and down to earth and so generous with his attention – that`s just amazing! I made that trip from Moscow just to see him on stage (planned since May, mind you) and that was worth every minute! It was the best New Year`s Eve in my life and Eddie made this miracle happen for me. Thank you, sunshine :)

Comments

[maxshimasu.livejournal.com]

He sounds so sweet (swoon). What a wonderful New Years!!! It's great that your friend's photo turned out so well!

I love that he did the drawings for Powder Blue.

[hope1972.livejournal.com]

Yesh! He is so sweet, I can`t believe I talked to him. :)

Yeah, we guessed he did the drawings but we wanted to be sure, so I asked. I know he did drawings for other movies because he talked about those in his interviews, but not about Powder Blue.
He has a degree in history of art and he took art lessons while at Eton I read, so my interest to his drwaings is not for nothing, he is talented here too. And he paints despite being colorblind I find it absolutely awesome!
And he sings beautifully I mean this man is talented all over :)