In his new series The Day of the Jackal, Eddie Redmayne acts in German, despite not understanding a word. In an interview, he explains why that was actually an advantage.
Disguised as an elderly janitor, the hitman known as the Jackal (Eddie Redmayne, 42, Fantastic Beasts) gains access to the office of a Munich media mogul. Passing by a security guard, he snaps at him in the original English version in German, saying, “Lass es” (“Drop it”), to silence the guard’s chatter. Later, he asks where he should start cleaning.
In an interview with 20 Minuten, the British actor reveals, “I don’t speak a word of German; the language is so difficult! So, I really have no idea how bad I sound in the scene.” During filming, he was helped by speech coaches who guided him in pronouncing the unfamiliar words. Later in The Day of the Jackal, Redmayne also speaks Spanish. “That was a disaster,” he jokes. In truth, however, he enjoys acting in foreign languages because it gives him more freedom. “The most important thing as an actor is to not constantly judge yourself. When I’m not speaking English, it’s easier to let go.”
The villain is likable, the heroine shamelessly audacious
As a professional killer, the Jackal is ruthless. He doesn’t care about his clients’ motives, as long as his multimillion-dollar payment is made on time. Yet he seems quite likable for a villain—unlike his opponent in British intelligence, Bianca (Lashana Lynch, 36, The Marvels). “Both of our characters have dubious morals,” Redmayne explains, making Lynch laugh beside him.
As a crime-fighter, Bianca blackmails a woman, forcing her to reveal a secret and promising in return to have her daughter released from prison—knowing full well the daughter is already dead. “I love that scene! When I read the script, I was thrilled by how easily Bianca shows that side of herself. She’s completely ruthless,” Lynch shares. Often, audiences forgive some characters’ immoral actions while criticizing others for the same behavior, which limits the “good” characters. “But secretly, we all want to shed our inhibitions sometimes—regardless of the consequences.”
