Eddie Redmayne auditioned for Kylo Ren in Star Wars. It did not go well

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Things could have turned out quite differently for Star Wars: The Force Awakens if Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them star Eddie Redmayne could've managed a better scary voice. 

Redmayne had previously alluded to auditioning for The Forces Awakens but now, speaking to Uproxx, he's explained a little more about what happened. 

In the interview he reveals he was going for Adam Driver's part as Kylo Ren: "They gave me like a Star Trek scene – or like something from Pride and Prejudice. With films that top secret, they don’t give you the actual lines. So they give you a scene from Pride and Prejudice, but then they tell you you’re auditioning for the baddie." 

The Redmayne school of villainy apparently has a very specific technique for this sort of thing: "If you’re me, you then put some ridiculous voice on," he explains. "That was really a hilarious moment. Because it was Nina Gold, who I have to thank a lot because she’s cast me in several films. And she was just sitting there and I was trying again and again with different versions of my kind of 'koohh paaaah' [Darth Vader breathing sound] voice. And after like ten shots she’s like, 'You got anything else?' I was like, 'No.'"

That was apparently the beginning and end of Redmayne's attempt to be in Star Wars club. It worked out alright in the end, though: could you imagine anyone else playing Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts now? 

Leon Hurley
Leon Hurley
Managing editor for guides

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for guides. I also write reviews, previews and features, largely about horror, action adventure, FPS and open world games. I previously worked on Kotaku, and the Official PlayStation Magazine and website.