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JULY 2018
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Flight Time
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35
Profile
“Our farmhouse
near St Tropez
was undoubtedly
one of the places
that shaped
me as the actor
I am today”
success I’ve had up to this point and it’s a very
good time in my life overall.”
With Eddie’s status as one of the finest
actors of his generation assured, the
Les
Misérables
star has moved into more lucrative
territory, starting with his role as Newt
Scamander in the enormous
Fantastic Beasts
and Where to Find Them
franchise. The first
instalment of the five-part series proved to be a
blockbuster hit across the globe even if, for the
notoriously self-critical performer, the role also
came with a degree of doubt.
“I feel a responsibility that comes with every
role I play, and there’s the pressure that comes
with feeling very close to these stories and not
wanting to screw it up, but that also makes
you want to do your best work and I ended up
feeling very inspired and incredibly happy to
dive into that magical world.”
Set in 1920s New York, the first film
captured all the charm and chaos of the jazz
age with the added layer of
Harry Potter
lustre.
Not surprisingly, Eddie assumed much of the
filming would be done in Manhattan, and was
dismayed to find it was actually being shot in
Watford! So, determined to shoot the sequel
in Paris where it is set, Redmayne admits to
leaning on director David Yates to work in
some genuine French architecture for the
sequel. “It’s not too far from the UK and I told
David that getting some real fromage, some
saucisson and baguettes for lunch would make
|all the difference,” he laughs.
The sequel, due out later this year, remains
shrouded in secrecy, so it’s difficult to know
how much of the French capital will feature in
its real-life glory, though numerous shots of
Eddie enjoying the sights and sounds of Paris
with his wife have emerged in recent months,
so he appears to have had his way!
When the hubbub of
Fantastic Beasts: The
Crimes of Grindelwald
dies down, Eddie may
well take the opportunity to return to France
later in the year. With his old-fashioned
charm and timeless looks, it’s hard to imagine
the once Burberry model ever embracing the
glitz, glamour and sheen of destinations such
as Vegas, Dubai or even New York. Eddie
has a great appreciation, not just for luxury,
but for quality, and appears to choose holiday
destinations that have a rich and elegant
history. It’s little surprise then that Rome and,
much further down Italy’s west coast, Positano,
on the Amalfi, are favourites. A delicate jewel of
a village, neatly deposited on the mountainside,
Positano has long been the muse of travelling
artistes. In 1953 John Steinbeck famously wrote
of it: “Positano bites deep. It is a dream place
that isn’t quite real when you are there and
becomes beckoningly real after you have gone”,
and Eddie, too, cannot help getting rather
carried away, labelling it “the most romantic
place I have ever stayed”.
He added: “There is a simplicity about the
Amalfi and the way the Italians go about their
business, right the way down to food, and
that for me is another big appeal of travel.
Wherever you are, you want to be able to enjoy
somewhere for what it is, at its heart, not for
the layers that go on top.”
Handsome, successful and well-traversed,
you may assume that nothing fazes this
sophisticated traveller. But Eddie still has one
hang-up when it comes to venturing to foreign
lands: “I love staying in hotels, but I have yet to
master the art of tipping correctly. I either give
far too much or far too little. It shouldn’t be so
difficult, but I’ve never quite got it right.”
To the untrained ear, that may just sound
like the perfect excuse for Eddie to reach for his
passport again.
F L I G H T D E TA I L S
Flybe has flights to
Toulon Côte d’Azur from
Southampton