Chances are likely that the next time you see Eddie Redmayne, he'll be holding up multiple awards thanks to an outstanding performance as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. But even those Oscar-caliber actors have an embarrassing audition story or two tucked quietly behind walls they're not itching to knock down anytime soon.
That's what makes this video all the more special. Redmayne was a guest on the U.K.'s The Graham Norton Show recently, and he revealed a funny story about the time he auditioned to play Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy. The part eventually went to Martin Freeman, who did terrific things with the role, but watch as Redmayne explains exactly why he probably didn't get the part.
Too bad for Redmayne (although we love the giddy hobbit voice and totally want to see more of it), but chances are if he took on The Hobbit movies, he may not have played Stephen Hawking, thereby deleting one of the year's best performances from history.
As a bonus -- and because we love Martin Freeman -- here's Saturday Night Live's mash-up sketch featuring both The Hobbit and the British version of The Office, which starred Freeman.
Oh, and in case you don't believe us about Redmayne in The Theory of Everything, here's more proof of his outstanding performance in the film.
