“Fantastic Beasts” Star Eddie Redmayne Auditioned For Kylo Ren Role

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them star Eddie Redmayne revealed he auditioned for the role of Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The worlds of Harry Potter and Star Wars nearly collided when Eddie Redmayne auditioned for a role in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. And not just any role. The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them star went for the big bad of the film, Kylo Ren.

He didn’t just not get the part. He failed the audition. Miserably.

Uproxx, to whom Redmayne spoke about his Star Wars audition, assumed the British actor went out for the role of General Hux. Hux was ultimately portrayed by Irish actor Domnhall Gleeson, with whom Redmayne has a history of competing for movie roles. For example, both actors auditioned to play Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter series, and Gleeson won that role.

Image Credit: Lucasfilm

But when Uproxx asked Redmayne if it was Hux he auditioned for, his answer was surprising.

"No. So, I was going for, I think, for Adam Driver. They gave me like a Star Trek scene – or like something from Pride and Prejudice. It was one of those films. 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. If you’re me, you then put some ridiculous voice on."

More from Dork Side of the Force

• Daniel José Older named a High Republic Adventures character after someone special
• How animation changed Star Wars: Ewoks and Droids
• Kelleran Beq comes to Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
• The Mandalorian’s Pedro Pascal becomes No. 1 on IMDb’s Starmeter for 2023
• Unwrapping the Star Wars LEGO Advent Calendar: Day 7

The audition went downhill from there.

"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.”"

To be honest, I can’t imagine Eddie Redmayne, with elegant features and cultured accent portraying the raw and volatile Kylo Ren. Adam Driver made Kylo a successful character because he didn’t “put some ridiculous voice on” or act theatrical, as Redmayne was clearly (and probably tongue-in-cheek) trying to do.

Still, it is always interesting to think about what could have been. After all, Star Wars is no stranger to wizards. But we will have to content ourselves with seeing Redmayne wield the Force… er, magic in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

Next: A New International Poster For Rogue One Brings It All Together

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them comes to theaters in the U.S. on November 18th.