It's a good time to be a Star Wars fan. With Disney now heading the franchise with an impressive slate of main installments and spinoffs, the galaxy far, far away has never felt closer. And with this resurgence of the brand, tons of A-list actors are chomping at the bit to get a role in a Star Wars flick. But auditions are a tricky thing, and even the most impressive of A-listers can botch their shot and end up out of a job. Case in point: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them star Eddie Redmayne.
Eddie Redmayne was one of the many actors who auditioned for a role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. While he previously stated that he had an absolutely awful audition, the actor just revealed which character he was up for.
So, I was going for, I think, for Adam Driver. They gave me like a Star Trek scene -- or like something from Pride and Prejudice. It was one of those films. With films that top secret, they don't give you the actual lines. So they give you a scene from Pride and Prejudice, but then they tell you you're auditioning for the baddie. If you're me, you then put some ridiculous voice on. That was really a hilarious moment. Because it was Nina Gold, who I have to thank a lot because she's cast me in several films. And she was just sitting there and I was trying again and again with different versions of my kind of 'koohh paaaah' [Darth Vader breathing sound] voice. And after like ten shots she's like, 'You got anything else?' I was like, 'No.'
There you go, ladies and gents. Eddie Redmayne was up for the role of Kylo Ren (via Uproxx), but did an awful imitation of Darth Vader that took him out of the running. The Force isn't so strong with that one.
The concept of Eddie Redmayne playing Kylo Ren is sure to be a hot topic among hardcore Star Wars fans. The reception to Adam Driver's performance was divisive when The Force Awakens was released last December. While some moviegoers enjoyed how the Girls actor brought a sense of mental and emotional unrest to the new villain, others found him to be a bit whiny. Emo Kylo Ren became a popular meme, so it's possible that the naysayers would have preferred Redmayne as Kylo Ren.
Them again, everything happens for a reason. Eddie Redmayne got to play a sci-fi villain in the lackluster Jupiter Ascending, and he also has the lead role in a franchise of his very own. Perhaps the only other upcoming movie that is as highly anticipated as Rogue One this season is Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which will feature Redmayne as the lead wizard.
Fantastic Beasts will fly into theaters November 18th, 2016.
