Why I Don’t Like Eddie Redmayne’s Acting
Eddie Redmayne has recently blown up in Hollywood. He won his first Oscar two years ago and has been working non-stop since. He is being called one of the best actors of the young generation. I’m here to tell you that’s wrong.
I have nothing against the guy, I actually think he’s an awesome dude from what I’ve seen in interviews. I just don’t like the way he acts and I don’t think he’s that good of an actor. There are a number of actors nowadays who are being judged because they ‘act every role in the same way’. Johnny Depp is an example of this. Many people judge him because they think he plays different characters in the same way. That’s not true. Johnny Depp plays similar character, but in different ways. Just because mostly every character he’s portrayed recently is classified as ‘the crazy guy’, he still plays his characters in different ways. Captain Jack Sparrow’s craziness is so different from The Mad Hatter or Mortdecai’s craziness, which is surely different from Grindelwald’s craziness and Johnny Depp will surely act it out in a different way. Just because he portrays similar characters doesn’t mean that he portrays them in a similar way. Here comes the problem with Eddie Redmayne. He plays very different characters, but plays them in the same way.
Look at the picture above. Do you notice the shy glance away from the camera? Eddie Redmayne does that in every role he plays. He always portrays his characters with a bit more shyness to them, a bit more studder, and a recognisable body language. Now, that clasification is appropriate when he’s doing characters like the one in ‘The Danish Girl’, for example. There, his gestures and face mimics are appropriate because they actually relate to the character. I can even admit that it’s acceptable for him to portray Stephen Hawking like that because his body language is a bit different.
In his new movie, ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, Eddie Redmayne plays Newt Scamander and does the exact same thing. It’s as if you took the character from ‘The Danish Girl’, changed their memory and the circumstances, and made them a wizard. Newt Scamander is a completely different character from everything Eddie Redmayne has played before, but he feels exactly the same. All the mimicry, body language, and face and head gestures remain the same. Those things make a huge impact on how we differentiate characters. And because Eddie Redmayne does exactly the same thing in every big blockbuster movie he’s in, I think he’s a not that good of actor. Yet. Don’t get me wrong, he’s amazing at that one role he plays, but the fact remains that he does that same role no matter what character he’s playing.
This is not something specific to Eddie Redmayne. Many actors in Hollywood do the same thing, I just picked on Eddie because I wanted to make a point. I don’t think Eddie Redmayne is a bad actor. He has so much potential and I’m sure he’ll start using his face and his body in different ways soon. And when that happens, he’ll truly be one of the best actors of the young generation.
Thanks for reading,
R. L.
First up thanks for the follow.. second I agree about Redmayne playing the same character over and over. Like Sean Connory back on the day. I might think differently if he plays a violent baddy (I just cant imagine him doing sinsiter) or superhero. Maybe he has and I missed it. I know that for now I won’t go to a film because he’s in it but despite his presence
Yup, I agree. I don’t think his acting is bad, it’s just that he portrays every character in the same way.
I completely agree!
I get what you mean about Redmayne, but I think there are worse examples. I would cite Tom Hanks, for one. But Hanks is so universally loved, it is regarded as unacceptable to suggest that he acts pretty much the same way, whatever the role.
Thanks for following my blog, which is much appreciated.
Best wishes, Pete.
I know that I am alone in finding Hanks bland. I have learned to live with it.
Regards, Pete.
I like Eddie Redmayne regardless of his so-called limited expression. I do agree that there are quite a number of actors who have limited range of expression. I think Redmayne is still learning. Hopefully, will get better . . .
I agree. 🙂
Interesting. I think there are two types of actors. There are performer actors who basically play them selves in every role. That is not to say they are not good actors because the good “performers” are able to make it work for each character they play. Then there are actor actors who inhabit a character and bring a different voice, mannerisms movement etc. they become someone else. Those actors who are good at this are mesmerizing. I’m not talking about just putting on a superficial accent or different hair coloring these actors believably become someone else. .
Very true. 🙂