Eddie Redmayne, who won an Academy award last year for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything and is in the running to repeat the achievement this year for his role in The Danish Girl, has said that he sometimes sends money to drama students who are struggling to pay their rent.
In an interview with GQ, Redmayne has said that having parents who lived in London afforded him “the greatest privilege” of being able to live and work in the capital without paying rent. Redmayne himself did not go to drama school; after graduating from Cambridge, he worked as a waiter while seeking professional acting work. In 2002, he got his first stage break as Viola, playing opposite Mark Rylance’s Olivia in an all-male production of Twelfth Night.
Since his rise to fame, the actor has said he frequently receives requests for financial aid.
“I get letters from people trying to go to drama school and needing to pay their rent,” he said. “And so that’s something I occasionally do. It’s impossibly expensive to live in London.”
Last year, Redmayne said he still relies on the counsel of the drama teacher at his former school, Eton.
“I had the greatest drama teacher I could ever have wished for in Simon Dormandy,” he said. “He inspired me to continue acting and I owe him so much. We will stay in touch. Over the years I’ve continued to seek out his advice and work with him if I think I could use some feedback when I’m preparing for a role.”
