He is set to make his debut as magizoologist Newt Scamander in the highly-anticipated prequel to Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. But it seems Eddie Redmayne initially had plans to play a more sinister role as he previously auditioned to play young Voldemort.
"I actually auditioned to play Tom Riddle while I was at university," the 34-year-old told Empire. "I properly failed and didn’t get a callback. Over the years, I always hoped I might be cast as a member of the Weasley family.
"I'm colour blind, but I’ve always been told there’s a tinge of red to my hair – but unfortunately not. A lot of my friends, like Domhnall Gleeson and Rob Pattinson, got their Harry Potter moment, but I never got mine."
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© Photo: PAEddie Redmayne has revealed he previously auditioned to play young Voldemort
But fortunately for Eddie, the Oscar-winning star has managed to bag himself the main lead in J.K Rowling's latest venture as Newt Scamander.
Fantastic Beasts, which is set prior to the events of the Harry Potter series in 1920's New York City, follows Newt Scamander after he accidentally releases a host of magical creatures and attempts to round them up before they wreak havoc in the city.
Described as an outsider and "a bit awkward", Newt was once a student at Hogwarts but was expelled for endangering human life with a beast.
"I actually auditioned to play Tom Riddle while I was at university," the 34-year-old said
Speaking at a recent fan event in London, Eddie revealed he was feeling "enormous pressure" to do his best with the character. "We were all fans and we grew up watching these films," he said. "For me, getting to go and see a Potter film every couple of years was like diving into that warm and cosy place that made you feel happy about the world."
It was recently announced that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them would officially have a sequel, even though the first film has yet to be released in cinemas.
A brief synopsis for the darker sequel was recently released: "The second Fantastic Beasts movie moves deeper into an increasingly dark time for the wizarding world, where Newt and our other heroes have to decide on their allegiances."
