Eddie Redmayne to Star in THE FIFTH BEATLE Movie?

DAILY MAIL
By BAZ BAMIGBOYE FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 18:56 EST, 21 May 2015 | UPDATED: 18:56 EST, 21 May 2015



Eddie Redmayne has emerged as one of several actors being considered to portray Beatles manager Brian Epstein in a film called The Fifth Beatle, based on Vivek J. Tiwary’s graphic novel.

The movie will show how Epstein took the Beatles from Liverpool and turned them into a sensation. The producers include Simon Cowell and Los Angeles-based Brit Stuart Ford, who runs the IM Global film company.

Ford said he has a very specific idea for a director, who will be announced soon, but he cautioned that no casting has been done yet. He did confirm, though, that Redmayne was ‘on the list’.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3092025/BAZ-BAMIGBOYE-Keeping-Mum-loop-Cate-Blanchett-s-love-affair-woman.html#ixzz3az36Fq7B 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Why Eddie Redmayne And Benedict Cumberbatch Get All The Good Acting Jobs according to Rupert Everett

Peter Black , Design & Trend Staff Writer
May, 14, 2015, 09:53 AM
peter.black@designntrend.com




Sophisticated Englishmen are what the American people want, and that is therefore what the American people get, according to British actor Rupert Everett.

Therefore, Everett told Radio Times, Brits should stop complaining that rich private school grads like Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne are nabbing all the seven figure acting jobs in Hollywood.

"Everyone's whining about that but the fact of the matter is, acting is like hooking," Everett said. "What people want to see is what people want to see. What the Americans want to see of the English -- they don't want to see snaggle-toothed working class people, obviously. They want to see upper class people -- that's what they want. That's why they love 'Downton Abbey.'"

"The upper class people are making the films that the Americans like but that's how it is. There's nothing we can do about that," added Everett, star of "My Best Friend's Wedding." "We can't force the Americans to change their minds but we could also just not be so envious and bitter about it and celebrate at the same time all the other people who do amazing work and are huge stars in our own country and then get to break out as well."


READ MORE HERE: http://www.designntrend.com/articles/50866/20150514/rupert-everett-explains-why-eddie-redmayne-benedict-cumberbatch-get-all-the-good-acting-jobs.htm

Eddie Redmayne Dresses Up for His Transgender Movie Role

JUST JARED
March 29, 2015



The movie is “inspired by the lives of artists Einar and Gerda Wegener, whose marriage takes a dramatic turn when Einar (Redmayne) decides to become the world’s first transgender woman, Lili Elbe,” according to THR.

30+ pictures inside of Eddie Redmayne on the set of his movie…

READ MORE HERE: http://www.justjared.com/2015/03/29/eddie-redmayne-dresses-up-for-his-transgender-movie-role/

Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Hunter join Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace

HELLO DAILY NEWS
11 MARCH 2015



Benedict Cumberbatch and his wife Sophie Hunter joined high profile guests for a dinner hosted by Princess Anne at Buckingham Palace on Monday evening. The newlyweds attended the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) reception following their return from their recent honeymoon.

The pair looked thrilled to meet the Princess Royal at the charity event, and were all smiles as they chatted to the Queen's daughter in the Palace's white drawing room.

Sherlock star Benedict looked dapper in a blue velvet suit jacket and trousers, while his wife highlighted her growing baby bump in a complementary blue maxi dress featuring an embellished design.

Ever the gentleman, Benedict kept his arm around pregnant Sophie's waist while they mingled with guests including Michael Ball, Victoria Wood and the presenters of Good Morning Britain.

The 38-year-old also took time to meet Professor Stephen Hawking, who attended the event with his first wife Jane Hawking.

Benedict is a staunch supporter of the Motor Neurone Disease Association, and was one of many stars to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in the summer. The actor took the challenge to the next level by throwing not just one - but five - buckets of ice-cold water over his head in support of the campaign.  

The reception was the first event that Benedict and Sophie have attended together since the Oscars. Following the awards the couple embarked on a romantic honeymoon together, and only returned home to London at the weekend

READ MORE HERE:http://us.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2015031123938/benedict-cumberbatch-sophie-hunter-meet-princess-anne/

Eddie Redmayne admits he lost touch with 'pal' Prince William after school

HELLO MAGAZINE
March 3, 2015



Eddie Redmayne has previously spoken about his school days with Prince William, but in a new interview Eddie has revealed that pair never stayed in touch. The Theory of Everything star admitted that he lost contact with the future King after leaving Eton College.

"He was a pal at school, but I haven't seen him since school," Eddie told Loaded magazine. "And no – no messages."

The 33-year-old actor went on to describe how William was probably the more "intimidating" one out of the pair.

"I'm pretty sure Will was more intimidating than I was," said Eddie. "I don't think I intimidated anyone in my life. I haven't seen him since school, but he was a lovely man."



The actor and the royal were both elected to The Eton Society, a group of elite prefects that was also known as "Pop". On top of this, the accomplished schoolboys played on the same rugby team.

"We were on the same Colts B team in 1997," said Eddie. "I always felt slightly sorry for Will because everyone wanted to tackle the future King of England. He took all the hits."

Joining the pair at the prestigious boarding school in Berkshire were William's younger brother Prince Harry and The Avengers star Tom Hiddleston.

While Eddie went on to study history of art at Cambridge – opting for the same degree as William's wife the Duchess of Cambridge – William took up geography at St Andrews.

READ MORE HERE: http://us.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2015030323770/eddie-redmayne-prince-william-school/

Eddie Redmayne cuts a gaunt figure as he begins work in London on his latest movie The Danish Girl

DAILY MAIL
By RYAN SMITH FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 11:14 EST, 28 February 2015 | UPDATED: 11:15 EST, 28 February 2015



In recent weeks, Eddie Redmayne collected an array of acting honours - including a coveted Best Actor Oscar - for his critically-acclaimed turn as Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything.

And the 33-year-old actor was spotted getting into character for another challenging role, as he plays transgender artist Einar Wegener, later known as Lili Elbe, in The Danish Girl.

On Saturday, newlywed Eddie was seen on the London set of his anticipated 1920s-set movie wearing a striped three-piece suit and looking considerably gaunt, having shed weight for the role.

Sipping a warm beverage and carrying a script, the actor marched his way through the English capital's rain-soaked streets with the top button of his blazer tightly done up.



His sighting on the set comes days after the first picture of him dressed as a woman - complete with a chestnut brown wavy bob and bright red lipstick - was unveiled.

The movie follows painter Einar, who was persuaded by his wife Gerda Waud, played by Alicia Vikander, to pose for her in women’s clothes after one of her models failed to show. In time, he became Lili and started on the transformation into a woman.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2973482/Eddie-Redmayne-begins-work-movie-Danish-Girl.html

Eddie Redmayne tipped to beat Benedict Cumberbatch to Best Actor BAFTA on Sunday

EXPRESS
ANNIE PRICE
Published: 11:15, Sat, February 7, 2015



The 33-year-old is tipped to add the gong to his trophy cabinet at the star-studded awards on Sunday.

Eddie, who has been lauded by the critics for his portrayal of scientist Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything, has already won a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Golden Globe for the role.

If the London-born actor finds himself victorious at the BAFTAs it should make up for his last trip to the awards.

The star missed his big moment in 2013, when he was set to present the award for original screenplay, after he was suddenly taken ill backstage.

Eddie and Benedict with J. K. Simmons

That left Lincoln star Sally Field to come on stage alone and tell the audience: "He seems to be puking his guts out back there", before giving the award to Quentin Tarantino for his western Django Unchained.

The actor had to make do with a kind word from his Les Miserables co-star Anne Hathaway who confirmed his illness when she picked up her award for Best Supporting Actress, saying: "Eddie, feel better. I would be holding your hair back, but - food poisoning is just the worst."

Eddie faces tough competition in the Best Actor category, including fellow British star Benedict Cumberbatch for his role in The Imitation Game, as well as Michael Keaton for Birdman, Ralph Fiennes for The Grand Budapest Hotel and Jake Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler.

His on-screen wife, Felicity Jones, could triumph as well after she was nominated for the best actress award against stars including Amy Adams and Reese Witherspoon.

The film is based on the memoirs of Hawking's ex-wife Jane which deals with their relationship, his scientific success and the onset of motor neurone disease which left him severely disabled.

Felicity also faces competition from Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike and Julianne Moore for her emotional portrayal of an Alzheimer's sufferer in Still Alice.

Other nominations include nods for Keira Knightley and Imelda Staunton for best supporting actress and Steve Carell and Ethan Hawke for best supporting actor.

The awards, seen as a dry run for the Oscars, will be handed out at London's Royal Opera House.

Among the other awards presented on the night is the Rising Star, which recognises the best new talent.

Unbroken actor Jack O'Connell is among those nominated along with Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who starred in last year's period drama Belle as a mixed-race aristocrat, and Margot Robbie, who first found fame playing Donna Freedman in TV soap Neighbours and has gone on to appear in The Wolf Of Wall Street.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/556740/Eddie-Redmayne-beat-Benedict-Cumberbatch-Best-Actor-BAFTA

This story will make you love Benedict Cumberbatch even more

GLAMOUR
By ELLA ALEXANDER
FRIDAY, 16 JANUARY 2015



Benedict Cumberbatch has said that telling his parents he has been nominated for an Oscar is one of the "proudest moments" of his life.

Ok, that's it. Just give the award to him already…

The 38-year-old actor was "knocked for six" to be in the running for Best Actor at the Academy Awards for his role in The Imitation Game and delighted in breaking the news to father Timothy Carlton and mother Wanda Ventham yesterday.

Wanda Ventham and Tim Carlton, Benedict Cumberbatch's parents, both great actors themselves, play his character, Sherlock's, parents as well.

He said: "I am knocked for six by this. So excited and honoured to receive this recognition. It's wonderful to be included by the academy in this exceptional year of performances. To ring my parents who are both actors and tell them that their only son has been nominated for an Oscar is one of the proudest moments of my life."

Meanwhile, fellow Best Actor nominee Eddie Redmayne - who picked up the Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama at the Golden Globe awards last weekend - was woken up with the good news this morning.

The Theory of Everything star told USA Today newspaper: "I'm in bed! 20 minutes ago I was in a deep, dark sleep, and there was this gigantic knock on the door. I stumbled in the dark and put a towel on and my manager was there brandishing a telephone with a lot of screaming coming out of it.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/news/celebrity/2015/01/15/oscars-2015---winners-nominations--dates

Oscar Nominations Are In For 2015 - Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rosamund Pike Lead British Charge! (FULL NOMINATIONS LIST)

The Huffington Post UK |
By Caroline Frost
Posted: 15/01/2015 13:47 GMT Updated: 15/01/2015 16:59 GMT



British hopes will be riding high for this year's Academy Awards, with actors Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch, Felicity Jones and Rosamund Pike all getting Oscar nominations for their work.

Eddie Redmayne's nod follows his triumph at the Golden Globes where he won Best Leading Actor in a Drama for his transformation into scientist Stephen Hawking in the moving drama 'The Theory of Everything'.

Benedict Cumberbatch is also recognised for his work playing a brilliant but challenged scientist, for his part the role of mathematician Alan Turing in 'The Imitation Game'.

Fellow Brit David Oyelowo missed out on a Best Actor nod for 'Selma', although the Martin Luther King biopic did score a nod in the Best Film category.

These actors will be up against Michael Keaton, celebrated for his sparky comeback turn in 'Birdman'. Michael also walked off with a Golden Globe for his role last week, and will surely be Eddie's biggest competition.

It's not all about the men, though. Former Bond girl Rosamund Pike has been nominated for her career-changing turn as the beautiful but unpredictable Amy Dunne in David Fincher's thriller 'Gone Girl', adapted from Gillian Flynn's bestseller.

Felicity Jones has also been tipped for her role of Stephen Hawking's wife Jane, opposite Eddie Redmayne.

These two will be up against firm favourite for her role in 'Still Alice', Julianne Moore, as well as Marion Cotillard and Reese Witherspoon.

'Birdman' and 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' share leading status for the honours, with nine nominations apiece.

READ HERE FOR FULL NOMINATION LIST: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/01/15/oscar-nominations-eddie-redmayne-benedict-cumberbatch-rosamund-pike_n_6477240.html

Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne compete for best actor at 2015 Bafta Film awards

RADIO TIMES
By Ellie Walker-Arnott
Friday 9 January 2015 at 08:03AM



British stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne are going head to head for best actor at this year's Film Bafta awards.

The pair are nominated for their roles as pioneering scientists Alan Turing in The Imitation Game and Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, respectively.

Their nominations are no real surprise; both the stars have already drawn huge praise from critics, along with numerous other nominations. Stephen Fry, who announced this year's shortlist alongside Sam Claflin, even uttered a "No!" of feigned surprise when Cumberbatch's name was read out.

The duo are up against Ralph Fiennes for The Grand Budapest Hotel, Jake Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler and Michael Keaton for Birdman.

Redmayne's co-star Felicity Jones is nominated for best actress for her role as Hawking's wife in The Theory of Everything, while Keira Knightley, who stars opposite Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game, is vying for the best supporting actress gong.

Fellow Brits Rosamund Pike and Imelda Staunton were also nominated, for best actress in Gone Girl and best supporting actress in Pride.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-01-09/benedict-cumberbatch-and-eddie-redmayne-compete-for-best-actor-at-2015-bafta-film-awards

Eddie Redmayne Marries Hannah Bagshawe!

E!
by ZACH JOHNSON
Mon., Dec. 15, 2014 11:00 AM PST


Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Eddie Redmayne is ending 2014 on a high note!

The 32-year-old actor, who recently earned Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for his starring role in Focus Features' The Theory of Everything, married Hannah Bagshawe at Babington House in Somerset, England, Monday. "They celebrated with a small number of close family and friends," his rep tells E! News in a statement. The wedding came less than a year after their engagement was first announced in The Times newspaper.

Vantagenews/AKM-GSI

Two months after Redmayne popped the question, the Les Misérables star opened up to E! News about the wedding planning process. "It's going good!" the British movie star said. "It's amazing!" Regarding his involvement, Redmayne joked, I'm sort of leaving most of it up to my fiancée, but we're getting there!"


READ MORE HERE: http://www.eonline.com/news/601050/eddie-redmayne-marries-hannah-bagshawe

Golden Globes: Cumberbatch, Redmayne, Pike and Jones among Britons recognised

BBC NEWS
December 11, 2014



Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones are among a host of British stars in contention for the 2015 Golden Globe awards.

Cumberbatch, Redmayne and fellow Briton David Oyelowo make up three of the nominees for best actor in a drama.

Felicity Jones, Redmayne's co-star in Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything, is up for best actress in a drama, as is Gone Girl's Rosamund Pike.

The 72nd Golden Globes will be held in Beverly Hills on 11 January.

Cumberbatch's citation comes for his role as World War II code breaker Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, for which Keira Knightley gets a best supporting actress nod.

Bookmakers William Hill make Redmayne their 10/11 favourite to win the best actor in a drama award, with Cumberbatch just behind at 6/4.

Both actors were nominated for Screen Actors Guild awards on Wednesday, as were Jones, Pike and Knightley.

Cumberbatch and Redmayne are expected to receive Oscar nominations next month, as is Michael Keaton for his work in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's darkly comic Birdman.

Because the Golden Globes divides its nominations between dramas and musicals and comedies, Keaton is shortlisted in a different category.

Redmayne said he was "beyond thrilled" and would "have a few mulled wines to celebrate", while Jones, who plays Hawking's first wife Jane in The Theory of Everything, said it was "a tremendous moment to get the news".

Knightley and Pike are among other nominees to have expressed pleasure and thanks at having been recognised.


READ MORE HERE: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30430965

Benedict Cumberbatch receives two SAG nominations... as fellow Brits Rosamund Pike and Eddie Redmayne also get nods

MAIL ON LINE
By JASON CHESTER FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 11:14 EST, 10 December 2014 | UPDATED: 13:38 EST, 10 December 2014



Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne and Rosamund Pike are amongst the British nominations at the 2015 Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Benedict, 38, is in the running for honours in both the TV and movie categories, and will contest for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for his performance in Sherlock and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his turn in The Imitation Game.

The delighted actor said: 'I'm over the moon. And so delighted to receive recognition in such esteemed company for both Sherlock and The Imitation Game by my acting peers. What an amazing early Christmas present! Thank you to all who voted and watched both pieces of work.'

But the actor faces stern competition in the form of Eddie Redmayne, 32, whose incredible performance as Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory Of Everything has prompted talk of Oscar and BAFTA nominations.

His British co-star Felicity Jones has also been nominated for her role as Hawking's devoted first wife, Jane in the Category for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role.

She will battle it out with Jennifer Aniston (for Cake), Julienne Moore (for Still Alice), Reese Witherspoon (for Wild) and Rosamund Pike, whose performance in a Hollywood adaptation of bestselling novel Gone Girl has won her rave reviews.

Keira Knightley has been nominated for two gongs, including Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in The Imitation Game.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2868659/Benedict-Cumberbatch-leads-Brits-TWO-nominations-Screen-Actors-Guild-Awards.html#ixzz3LXnJYSyC 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Eddie Redmayne amazed by A-list pals

BELFAST TELEGRAPH



The British star is generating Oscar buzz thanks to his vivid portrayal of Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, and he isn't the only one in his social circle to be doing well. His good pal Benedict Cumberbatch has been lauded for his film The Imitation Game, while Jamie Dornan features in the hotly-anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation due out in February.

"There’s a group of us. Ben [Cumberbatch] and Tom [Hiddleston] are old friends, but my closest buddies are probably Andrew [Garfield], Tom Sturridge, Jamie Dornan and Charlie Cox," he told Stylist magazine. "I remember being in LA [six years ago] with Jamie, staying on friends’ floors and going to auditions but having nothing to do in between. We ended up driving to this hotel where you get free parking if you buy something to eat, so we’d share a club sandwich and have ruthless, relentless games of ping-pong for an entire afternoon. Frankly, it was astounding any of us managed to achieve anything."

Having friends in the industry helps Eddie deal with some of the trickier aspects, such as fame. However, he is still surprised by the ferocity of feelings some of his fans seem to have. The 32-year-old star recalled one surprising encounter which his family won't let him live down.

"Someone once asked me in an interview which cartoon character I fancied when I was younger and I said, 'Oh, I sort of liked Nala in The Lion King,'" he recalled. "Then one day, I was doing a play in London and it was my birthday, so I was with my family going to dinner after and a fan was standing there with this big Nala teddy. My brother looked at me like, ‘Why have you been given that?’"

As well as riding a career high, 2014 has been a good year for Eddie personally. He got engaged to publicist Hannah Bagshawe in May, which he calls the best thing to have happened to him.



READ MORE HERE: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/news/eddie-redmayne-amazed-by-alist-pals-30818142.html

Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Eddie Redmayne, Jack O'Connell winners at Hollywood Film Awards

MAIL ON LINE
By JENNIFER PEARSON
PUBLISHED: 02:01 EST, 15 November 2014 | UPDATED: 09:53 EST, 15 November 2014



Shailene Woodley's performance in The Fault In Our Stars touched so many, and Benedict Cumberbatch wrenched hearts in The Imitation Game.

But both showed stars in their eyes as they stepped on stage at the Hollywood Film Awards to accept trophies for their acting work on Friday.

They stood among an amazing crowd of other winners who included Keira Knightley, Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne, Chris Rock and Michael Keaton.



Benedict was indeed humble as he accepted the Hollywood Actor Award for his role in The Imitation Game as English mathematician and logician Alan Turing, who helped to crack the Enigma code during World War II.


In the video interview playing out on screen, Benedict said that Turing 'was a brave man but also a very loving man' and that the film is 'a celebration of what he achieved.'

The 38-year-old British actor was slightly taken aback though after Amy Adams handed him his award.

'Oh, my gosh, you make microphones small in this part of the world,' Benedict said, as though agreeing with Johnny Depp's earlier - and quirky - observation.

Benedict continued: 'This is a great honour. Thank you to Amy for presenting. It's truly an embarrassment of riches. He was and is a hero... it's a story that celebrates him... and anyone who's felt ostracised. This is for him and what he's achieved.'

Cumberbatch's co-star Keira Knightley picked up the Supporting Actress Award for her role as Joan Clarke, another one of the WWII code breakers.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2835564/Shailene-Woodley-Benedict-Cumberbatch-lead-winners-Hollywood-Film-Awards-flawlessly-emotional-performances.html#ixzz3J9pe1A75 
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Eddie Redmayne Disturbed By Benedict Cumberbatch Comparisons

DESIGN AND TREND
Peter Black , Design & Trend Staff Writer
Oct, 29, 2014, 01:33 PM
peter.black@designntrend.com

Eddie Redmayne, the freckled faced Brit who plays Stephen Hawking in "The Theory of Everything," is worried that he might have to compete with Benedict Cumberbatch, the otter faced Brit who plays Alan Turing in "The Imitation Game," when awards season arrives.

"I totally see why people are (comparing us), because of the subject matter; we both play geniuses. But I won't be engaged in that," Redmayne told Variety. "I think he's the most beautiful actor. I've long admired his work, and continue to do so. I hope there's room for both our films."

"There was this hilarious moment when we were shooting a scene at Harrow School," Redmayne continued. "There was a wooden board with names engraved on it, and by my head was 'B. Cumberbatch.' I'm like, 'Dude, you're haunting me!' I took a selfie of me dressed as Stephen and sent it to Ben."

Despite his starring role in "Theory of Everything," Redmayne insists he's "not a movie star."

"A movie star is someone who has to open a film to gazillions of dollars," the 32-year-old actor, who has had parts in "Les Miserables," and "The Good Shepard," said. "I'm just trying to pay my mortgage."


READ MORE HERE: http://www.designntrend.com/articles/23484/20141029/eddie-redmayne-disturbed-benedict-cumberbatch-comparisons.htm

Oscar's Battle of the Brits: Pals Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne Vie for the Gold

DAILY BEAST
Marlow Stern
September 11, 2014

With their towering performances in a pair of biopics, Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game and Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, the two lads are earning serious awards buzz out of Toronto.

Cumberbitches and Redmaniacs, rejoice: You've got a pair of awards contenders on your hands—err… minds.

For the uninitiated, the Toronto International Film Festival is, aside from being one of the largest, most overwhelming film fests in the world, fertile ground for Oscar bait. The proof is in the poutine. American Beauty, Ray, Black Swan, and The King’s Speech, to name a few, all bowed in Toronto, and all received Academy Award wins for their stars. Most of the acting buzz at the ’14 edition of TIFF has concerned the performances of Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne in a pair of biopics that were practically stitched by hand in a clandestine awards factory beneath the Dolby Theatre.

Let’s start with the stronger of the two. In The Imitation Game, Cumberbatch portrays Alan Turing, a math prodigy and cryptanalyst who’s tasked by Prime Minister Winston Churchill with leading an elite group of code-breakers at Hut 8—a sector of Britain’s top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. Their mission is to break the Nazis’ Enigma code, their highly encrypted and presumably indecipherable method of communicating with their naval fleet via radio transmissions. “We’re going to break an unbreakable Nazi code, and win the war,” says Turing.

Directed by Morten Tydum from a screenplay by Graham Moore, the film chronicles Turing’s tragic life (via flashbacks) from his days as a bullied, reticent budding genius who falls for his boarding school classmate, to his World War II heroism, to the subsequent witch hunt in the days after the war that leads to his 1952 conviction on the grounds of “indecency” for engaging in a homosexual tryst—illegal in the U.K. until the Sexual Offences Act 1967, which decriminalized homosexual behavior. Turing was offered the option of two years in prison or oestrogen injections—tantamount to chemical castration. He opted for the latter, and two years later, took his own life by ingesting cyanide.

Another role Oscars were made for comes courtesy of Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything. The impressively-coiffed Brit plays renowned theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, who fused the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics to create groundbreaking studies on black holes and gravitational singularity theorems. At the age of 21, while studying cosmology at the University of Cambridge, he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease—or ALS—and given two years to live. Hawking slid into a deep depression, but was brought out of it by his girlfriend Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones) who proposed marriage and gave him something to live for.

Directed by Oscar winner James Marsh (Man on Wire) from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, the film is more of a straightforward biopic that traces Hawking’s relationship with Wilde at Cambridge, his groundbreaking work in the field of theoretical physics, and his gradual physical decline—first losing his ability to speak, followed by near-complete paralysis. Though Hawking slowly loses control of his physical faculties, his mind remains sharp as ever, and Redmayne captures this with his boyish charm—the twinkle in his eye, and his self-effacing brand of humor. And the 32-year-old Brit, who coincidentally graduated from Cambridge himself with 2:1 Honours, does a superb job of navigating Hawking through his physical deterioration, including his slide into depression. The scenes between Redmayne and Jones where the latter party struggles to pull him away from the edge are masterful.

Of course, Redmayne also positively looks the part, and his portrayal of Hawking during the latter stages of ALS—the impaired speech and mannerisms—is spot-on.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/11/oscar-s-battle-of-the-brits-pals-benedict-cumberbatch-and-eddie-redmayne-vie-for-the-gold.html