Eddie Redmayne: 'I considered quitting acting'

Eddie Redmayne momentarily thought about retiring after The Theory Of Everything.

The British actor was the darling of awards season earlier this year (15) thanks to his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in the flick, and he picked up the best actor Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA and SAG awards. Receiving the accolades at 33 made him one of the youngest ever winners and when all the hype had died down he did have a split second of doubt.

"I had a moment of, 'Oh f**k, I might retire tomorrow,” Eddie told Details. “I'm never going to do anything again’. The thought that it happened too early came in for a second. But then I thought, No, I want this."

His latest film The Danish Girl has already created a lot of Oscars chat and another golden statue is well within his reach. In it he plays transgender woman Lili Elbe who undergoes pioneering new surgery during the 1930s.

"Quite a few people have said, 'You did Stephen Hawking, a physical transformation, and now you're doing another one,'” he revealed. “But as an actor, you never go, 'Oh, I need to do this.' You ask yourself, 'Is this story worth telling? Does it hit me?'"

Success has come fairly quickly to Eddie, and he has worked consistently since he started out in 1998. While his parents have always been supportive, they were cautious when Eddie revealed his career dreams.

“They had no knowledge of the world but my dad is pretty good with numbers, so he just knew the statistics of unemployment,” he smiled.