“I turned to give my mom a hug and…”: Eddie Redmayne’s Warning to His Mom Completely Backfired When She Had the Most Unexpected Reaction to His First Tony Win
Eddie Redmayne, the talented British actor who rose to fame through his outstanding performances as Stephen Hawking and Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts, has once again become the focus of attention. This time, it is for his performance as the Emcee in the Broadway revival of the classic musical Cabaret. Redmayne’s act has also landed him a nomination for the prestigious Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.
The Tony Awards, widely considered to be the highest accolade for theatrical performances in America, are close to Redmayne’s heart. His association with the award show started in 2010 when he landed his first Tony for his work in the play Red. Now, over a decade later, he finds himself back in the running, this time for his amazing performance in Cabaret.
Eddie Redmayne Shares His Mother’s Funny Reaction to His First Tony
As Redmayne prepares for the Tony Awards event, he got nostalgic about his first experience with the awards. During an interview on The Tonight Show, the actor revealed a heartwarming and funny story about how his mother reacted to his very first Tony Award win.
During the awards, Eddie Redmayne said that he had informed his mother about being in front of cameras during such award shows. He warned her about the things she could probably do that would embarrass her if he didn’t win, given the fact that she is a very competitive mother. However, his mother, who wished to follow his words, carried things to the extreme. Redmayne said,
The moment happened, and the scale of it compared to London is massive and the show is extraordinary. And the moment for the award that I was nominated for came up and I was lucky enough to win and I couldn’t take it in. I was completely elated. I turned to give my mum a hug. And she was sitting like this (not reacting at all). I said, ‘Mum, I won!’
When Redmayne’s mother didn’t react to his win, he further tried to get his mother to hug him,
I’m Like, ‘No, Mom, this is a big moment. Hug me.’ And I realized that, you know, that sort of fear of your parents embarrassing, I’d been, like, too hard on my note to my mum.
The incident shows how his mother suppressed her own reaction just to make her son happy. However, as far as Redmayne’s nomination for Tony is concerned, it is not quite surprising, given that he has won the Olivier Award 2022 for Cabaret.
Eddie Redmayne Credits His Parents for His Success
Though Redmayne’s talent has elevated him to stardom, he agrees that his parents are the real stars behind him. While being interviewed by TODAY, the actor discussed how his parents deeply supported and encouraged him despite the fact that they were not involved in acting.
His father used to work in banking, while his mother was the owner of a relocation company, but they supported him in his attempts to become an artist. He said,
I loved music and singing and acting at school. To my parents’ credit, which now as a parent myself I really do hold high, anything I had an interest in or my brothers had an interest in, they supported.
Redmayne studied art history at Trinity College where he gained a greater passion for acting after he was spotted by a talent agent. However, his parents told him to go to university and have a backup plan.
Although his parents had their doubts, they encouraged him to pursue acting as a career after his breakout role in an adaptation of Les Miserables. Redmayne has also revealed that he would have been a curator, if not an actor. His fans are of course, delighted with his career choice.
