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Strictly Come Dancing returns to BBC One tonight for week seven of the show with a specially created theme with professional dancer Amy Dowden set to miss the episode following a health emergency.

The Welsh dancer, who is partnered with JLS singer JB Gill, fell ill during the filming of last week’s live show (26 October). An ambulance was summoned to Elstree Studios in Borehamwood and the 34-year-old was taken to hospital. A spokesperson for the dancer later said that the ambulance was “just a precaution”.

Fellow pro dancer, Lauren Oakley will instead partner Gill for the “couple’s choice” dance in today’s instalment of the show.

Dowden will unfortunately miss “Icons Week” which will celebrate 20 years of Strictly Come Dancing which will see couples dance to songs by music legends such as Whitney Houston, Shirley Bassey and Queen.

The BBC has already teased that the professional dancers will be performing a Beyoncé medley, featuring Johannes Radebe channelling his inner Sasha Fierce.

Jamie Borthwick and Michelle Tsiakkas, who were at the top of the leaderboard last week, will dance a Samba to “Faith” by George Michael, while Tasha Ghouri and Aljaž Škorjanec, who were joint top of the leaderboard with Borthwick, will perform a Couple’s Choice to “What About Us” by P!nk.

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Who is replacing Amy Dowden?

Lauren Oakley will be dancing with JB Gill on this week’s addition of the show, replacing Amy Dowden who is unable to take part.

A spokesperson for Strictly Come Dancing added: “Amy Dowden MBE is doing much better and the Strictly family send her love and wish her well.

“She is delighted that fellow professional dancer, Lauren Oakley, is able to step in for rehearsals and to perform in Saturday’s show for JB Gill’s couple’s choice dance. We are all hopeful that Amy will be back to dance with JB next week.”

Dowden’s management company said she was “resting” and would be supporting Gill and Oakley during this weekend’s show.

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Strictly bosses previously announced that Oakley would train with Gill on Monday, but since confirmed that the pair would stay together for the rest of the week, including for the performance on Saturday and the results show on Sunday. Oakley, who came eighth when partnered with Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy in the show’s previous season, did not have a partner this year. She joined the show in 2022.

Greg Evans2 November 2024 13:00

Strictly Come Dancing reveals songs and dances for first Icons Week

The theme will celebrate the songs of music legends such as Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Shirley Bassey, Queen, George Michael and KISS.

Find the full list of songs and dances for Icons Week below:

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Chris McCausland and Dianne will dance a Tango to “Rock and Roll All Nite” by KISS

Jamie Borthwick and Michelle will dance a Samba to “Faith” by George Michael

JB Gill and Amy Dowden’s stand-in Lauren will dance a Couple’s Choice to a Bruno Mars Medley

Montell Douglas and Johannes will dance a Waltz to “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston

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Pete Wicks and Jowita will dance a Salsa to “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen

Sam Quek and Nikita will dance an American Smooth to “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift

Sarah Hadland and Vito will dance a Cha Cha to “Like a Prayer” by Madonna

Shayne Ward and Nancy will dance a Quickstep to “Help!” by The Beatles

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Tasha Ghouri and Aljaz will dance a Couple’s Choice to “What About Us” by P!nk

Wynne Evans and Katya will dance a Rumba to “This Is My Life” by Shirley Bassey

Greg Evans2 November 2024 13:30

STRICTLY Come Dancing star JB Gill has opened up on his “surreal” rehearsals with Lauren Oakley after his professional partner Amy Dowden pulled out due to illness.

The JLS hitmaker, 37, will perform a Couple’s Choice routine to a series of Bruno Mars tracks on tonight’s live BBC show.

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Yet Strictly Come Dancing bosses this week confirmed JB‘s partner Amy Dowden, 34, would be replaced both for rehearsals and the live show following her collapse last week.

The Welsh dancer, who has Crohn’s Disease and has been battling cancer, missed the results programme last week after she was rushed to hospital.

The medical drama – which happened shortly after the live episode aired – saw BBC star Lauren Oakley, 33, step in as Amy‘s replacement.

The pair opened up on their first week of training together on Friday’s It Takes Two.

Lauren told the Strictly spin-off show how the duo were “starting afresh” with the footwork as it was choreographed by an external dancer.

She said: “We both came in on Monday on a level playing field, so we were both learning the routine.

“It was nice to make that progression together.”

Eyes Wide Shut singer JB then added of his rehearsals without Amy: “I mean it was surreal obviously.

“Because I am very much used to working with Amy, although there have been times we have had to work with Lauren.

“Lauren’s lovely, she’s amazing, she’s an incredible dancer.

“Of course we have been watching her do the group numbers and so on through the series so far.

“For me it was just a case of we’ve got Lizzie [choreographer] and it’s a completely different style of dance as well, so I feel there was less pressure, certainly on Lauren, and on both of us in terms of executing the dance.

“It was fun for us to let go and be in the moment and to enjoy the music, thats what its all about.”

During the same show Amy, who joined the duo on the It Takes Two sofa, gave a health update after her ordeal.

Strictly Amy’s cancer ‘nightmare’

The Sun’s Jamie Downham takes a look at the beloved Strictly star’s ups and downs…

AS Strictly Come Dancing viewers know, you’ll struggle to catch Amy Dowden without a huge smile on her face.

But recently the Welsh star – one the best-rated Ballroom and Latin American professional dancers the UK has ever produced – has suffered a string of “nightmare” blows to her health.

She was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in May last year and underwent a full mastectomy, before having chemotherapy towards the end of 2023.

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However, she later reported docs had found a clot on her lung, telling fans sadly: “Unfortunately I’ve had another nightmare this week.”

Nonetheless, brave Amy, seen here dancing with James Bye, made an epic return to Strictly the following month with an appearance that left many viewers in floods tears.

As 2024 dawned, she admitted: “I feel I was robbed of the year I had planned and reflecting for me makes me upset and angry.”

However, she was soon smiling again. Amy, her hair starting to grow back after her cancer treatment, was seen messing around with her co-stars Dianne Buswell and Vito Coppola on the Strictly tour earlier this month.

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And despite another spell in hospital in February, she still mustered a cheeriness many would struggle for, telling fans: “The sun is shining – and I certainly can’t wait for Spring.”

And we certainly can’t wait to see you dancing again, Amy…

She also revealed the sweet way the She Makes Me wanna singer and Lauren have supported her through her show break – with the help of a WhatsApp group.

MASSIVE PRESSURE

Earlier this week, we reported how JB’s bandmate Aston Merrygold – who starred on Strictly in 2017 – suggested his pal would be under “pressure” due to the partner change.

He spoke out on Thursday’s Lorraine as he offered some sage advice to JB.

He told Lorraine Kelly‘s stand-in host Ranvir Singh: “It is him and Lauren.

“For him, obviously having to switch partners last minute, that whole thing is going to obviously play a big part on pressure.

“Sending lots of love to Amy as well,” before giving a wave to the camera.

When asked what more his Beat Again bandmate could bring to the table, Aston said: “I think for J now it’s bringing out the personality a bit more.

“I think we have only scratched the surface of JB.”

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THE Exorcist movie has sent chills down the spines of horror film fans ever since the Seventies.

The 1973 scenes, branded the “scariest ever”, centred on possessed 12-year-old child Regan MacNeil and saw terrified cinemagoers vomiting and fainting when the flick hit screens.

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Yet the nail-biting plotline, showing Regan play with a Ouija board to tap into the terrors of the spiritual world, also prompted series of unfortunate events that happened off-screen.

Several surprising occurences led to claims that the film was “cursed” – after deaths and injuries on set.

Now we take a look at some of the troubled film’s cast – and where they are now.

Ellen Burstyn

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Ellen, now 91, played actress and single mother Chris MacNeil who relocated to Washington DC with her daughter.

She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Regan’s petrified parent.

Yet during filming, she suffered a spinal injury while being hoisted around on a harness.

The Michigan-born actress was left on crutches for the rest of the production and recalled the accident during a 2018 interview with The Guardian.

She has since starred in Requiem For A Dream, Queen Bees and The Exorcist: Believer spin-off.

Linda Blair

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Linda, now 65, played possessed schoolgirl Regan MacNeil.

The actress won an Academy Award for her absolutely terrifying role, which saw her head left spinning in a worrying paranormal moment and killing her friends and family.

During filming, she suffered a back injury after being strapped to a harness which suffered a technical malfunction.

In an eerie moment off-screen, she also suffered the loss of family members while the project was being filmed.

Linda then went on to star in movies Savage Streets, Roller Boogie and Born Innocent.

Jack MacGowran

Best horror films to watch this Halloween

By Conor O’Brien

Halloween is the perfect time for horror movie to fans to indulge in all the scares, shocks and thrills.

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Whether old favourites or a new chilling tale, here are some top picks to watch this Halloween.

• Alien (1979): Starring Sigourney Weaver, this film follows a spaceship crew who investigate a derelict spaceship and are hunted by a dangerous extra-terrestrial creature.
• The Shining (1980): Based on Stephen King’s novel, the movie stars Jack Nicholson as a recovering alcoholic and aspiring novelist who takes a  a job as winter caretaker for a haunted resort hotel. Meanwhile, his young son possesses clairvoyant powers.
• Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): Wes Craven’s horror classic introduced audiences to legendary villain Freddy Kreuger. This movie also notably marked Johnny Depp‘s film debut.
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974): An independent horror film, the story follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals. It also introduces the character Leatherface.
• Friday the 13th (1980): Directed by Sean S. Cunningham, this film kicked off a franchise and introduced Jason Vorhees.  follows a group of teenage camp counselors who are murdered one by one by an unknown killer. Among the cast is a young Kevin Bacon.
• Scream (1996): Written by Kevin Williamson, this film sees Wes Craven pay homage to horror classics – including his own Nightmare on Elm Street. The beginning of a long-running franchise; the cast includes Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette.
• Poltergeist (1982): Directed by Tobe Hooper and written by Steven Spielberg, this supernatural horror film focuses on a family whose home is invaded by ghosts who abduct their daughter.

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Jack played the eccentric film director Burke Dennings and in the film, he was killed by demon-plagued Regan.

His character was attacked by the possessed child, who used her superhuman strength to break his neck and then flung him out of her bedroom window.

Ahead of the film’s release, Jack tragically died from complications related to influenza, which he caught during the London flu epidemic in 1973.

Some believe this was a sign of The Exorcist film’s “curse.”

Vasiliki Maliaros

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The actress played Father Damien Karras’ mother, Mary.

She passed away that same year before The Exorcist hit the big screen.

The star, who had no previous acting experience and was cast after being spotted at a restaurant, was ruled to have died from “natural causes” at an inquest.

In the film, Vasiliki’s character died after being admitted to a hospital and later haunted the dreams of Father Karras.

Max Von Sydow

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He played man of the cloth and paleontologist, Father Merrin, who performed Regan’s exorcism.

He died, aged 90, in 2000 at his home in France.

Yet prior to his passing, the Swedish-born star enjoyed a stellar career on screen.

He starred in more than 200 films, TV and radio programmes including Shutter Island and the Game of Thrones TV series.

Jason Miller

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Jason played Father Damien Karras, who helped Father Merrin in Regan’s exorcism.

Yet his role was short-lived, as the demon jumped into his own body instead, causing him to kill himself.

Since the movie he starred in a host of Exorcist spin-offs before his death, aged 62, in 2001.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus has recalled her “excruciating” first rehearsal for Saturday Night Live.

The actor became the show’s youngest female cast member when she joined season eight in 1982 at the age of 21, landing the spot while still in college.

In a new interview with People magazine, Louis-Dreyfus, 63, reflected on her time on the programme, which celebrates its 50th season this year.

“When I was just getting started, I was part of the Practical Theatre Company in Chicago,” she told the publication. “The producers of SNL came to see the show and they loved it, and they hired all of us to come to New York and be a part of SNL.”

For her first rehearsal, Louis-Dreyfus recalled having to perform the first act with three “complete and total unknowns”.

The rehearsal took place “under fluorescent lights in the middle of the day in front of 20 very cynical, unfriendly SNL cast members and writers”, she said.

The actor went on to claim that the rest of the cast “already hated us because a bunch of their best friends had just been fired to make room for us”.

“We never had a chance,” she said. “Sketches that had killed in Chicago died a terrible, terrible death that day. It was excruciating.

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“I think that humiliation influenced our whole SNL experience for the next couple of years, to tell you the truth.”

She continued: “I’ve learned a lot since that cringey day in a carpeted office on the 17th floor of 30 Rock.”

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Louis-Dreyfus went on to become a much-loved presence on SNL, known for characters including televangelist April May June, Let’s Watch TV co-host Consuela, and Weekend Update teen correspondent Patti Lynn Hunnsucker.

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During her time on the show, she appeared alongside Billy Crystal, Eddie Murphy, Christopher Guest, Martin Short, and her husband Brad Hall – who she married in 1987.

She exited in 1985, having spent three years on the series, and went on to star in Seinfeld as Elaine for nine years between 1989 to 1998.

Louis-Dreyfus has earned 26 Emmy nominations and 11 Emmy wins for her work on the small screen, most recently as vice president Selina Meyer on HBO’s comedy Veep.

The seventh and final season of the political satire aired in 2019.

EMILY Atack dazzled in a plunging black top and bold eye make-up as she posed for a glam new selfie.

The actress, 34, styled her blonde hair into bouncy waves, donning a back-combed style for extra volume.

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Emily, who admitted she found stripping off for her new role in TV series Rivals “liberating”, donned a skintight top with a scoop neckline in the sassy image promoting her new show.

She accessorised with gold hoop drop earrings with pearl detail and a huge ring.

The Inbetweeners star then opted for a golden glow, with bronze powder and a pop of pink blusher on her cheeks.

Blue eyeliner and mascara and baby pink lip gloss finished off her look.

In her Instagram Stories caption, Emily made a huge reveal about her racy new series – based on the book by Jilly Cooper.

She wrote: “Calling all Hulu folk.

“Rivals is now available to watch in the US.”

She added: “Bring back blue mascara!”

ON SCREEN

Emily’s telly return came after she gave birth to her baby boy in June.

She has candidly told how she felt “sexier than ever” after her pregnancy journey.

Emily then bagged a role on TV’s “horniest” series, Rivals.

Rivals is an adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s 1988 novel and follows a group of characters as they vie for business and each other’s affections in the cut throat world of independent television.

Emily plays the Deputy Prime Minister, Sarah Stratton, and can be seen playing naked tennis with gigolo Tory MP Rupert Campbell-Black, played by Alex Hassell.

Everything you need to know about Emily Atack

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But the actress is not fazed by getting naked in front of the cameras, as it is all part of the job.

Speaking to Sky News about getting bare for her Rivals debut, Emily said: “It’s so liberating.

“Of course there are going to be people out there that take what you do and try and spin a negative narrative on it. I’m a woman, of course people are going to do that.

“But what I have to keep stressing to people is I’m exactly where I need to be. I’m at work, I’m playing a role, I’m very comfortable and I’m on a closed set.

“We have intimacy coordinators, I get on very well with my director, the crew, the actors and I’m very happy and comfortable.

“It’s other people’s characters that need to be looked at if they’re going to twist it into some grotesque negativity.”

The series stars a host of British TV favourites, including former EastEnders star Danny Dyer, Doctor Who‘s David Tennant, and Skins heartthrob Luke Pasqualino.

Dame Jilly Cooper is known for her kinky books and, although there is a lot of saucy scenes, body-confident Emily has defended their purpose.

“We keep saying that the nudity and the sex scenes are a huge part of this but there’s always a reason for them,” she said.

“We’re not just getting our kit off for no reason. They’re very integral to the storylines and characters.”

Her co-star Alex Hassell then revealed an X-rated moment in one scene that wasn’t in the original script – and thought it would “break the ice.”

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It’s an unseasonably warm October day in London, and Eddie Redmayne is gazing out of the window. I’m worried he wants to jump out of it solely to get away from this conversation.

“I suppose,” the actor stutters, “as any human would, you take each moment, each criticism, each interrogation, each, um… err…” He pauses. “Each opinion piece… um. Everyone’s voices…” He starts again. “Often something you’ve done is just a part of a much bigger discussion, and you try to make sense of it with the understanding and comprehension of any human being.” Redmayne turns back to me. He clears his throat.

I haven’t asked him anything that’s especially probing. I’ve merely enquired how he’s gone about navigating the rocky terrain of his most illustrious role, that of “Man at the Centre of Every Bit of Toxic Discourse of the Last Decade”. He was the freckly, Eton-educated face of the British film industry when he won an Oscar for playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, sparking conversations about equal opportunities for actors who aren’t able-bodied, cisgender men of privilege. He’d poke that bear again less than a year later, portraying a trans woman in the regrettable The Danish Girl. And he was leading the Fantastic Beasts franchise at the same time as its creator JK Rowling went public with her views on trans people, which transformed her – over the course of three movies – from beloved children’s author to unbridled agent of chaos.

So, without me hammering the point home too aggressively, how has he dealt with it? Redmayne, dressed in a multicoloured jumper and wearing bright red spectacles, stops talking for an unnervingly long period of time. Four seconds pass. Five. We somehow eke it out to six. “You answer, you trip over, you get quoted, get misquoted,” he sighs. “It’s all par for the course. But the way I explain it to myself is I’m just a f***ing actor.” He lets out a surprisingly booming laugh for a relative wisp of a man. “I wasn’t bred to be a politician, or a great speaker, or a particularly articulate advocate. I will, of course, sputter my way through [advocacy] for the things that I care about… but I’m just an actor.” He laughs again, those icy blue eyes of his catching the light. Then he smiles. He wears the expression of a man never more relieved to reach the end of a thought. I think he’s going to stay in the room.

Redmayne is excellent company: loose, self-deprecating, gregarious. The 42-year-old has a great physical elasticity to him, his limbs in constant motion. He likes to cradle his chin in the palm of his left hand and dart his head from side to side. Often to look out of that window. He went to clown school a few years ago – or, as it’s properly known, Paris’s esteemed École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq – where he learnt to stretch and bend and curl himself into odd shapes. It left him seemingly completely at ease in his own skin. So I feel bad for briefly making him want to crawl out of it.

There’s no clowning in Redmayne’s new project – he left that behind on the stage, where he played the rubbery, eerie Emcee in Cabaret in the West End in 2022, then on Broadway earlier this year. Instead, he’s carrying a very big gun and wearing enviably plush suits. A new adaptation of Frederick Forsyth’s 1971 novel The Day of the Jackal, which arrives on Sky and Now next Thursday, casts him as an immaculately tailored assassin-for-hire: the Jackal of the title, immortalised on film first in 1973 by Edward Fox, then in 1997 by Bruce Willis. This TV reboot transposes the story into a modern setting, with the Jackal ordered to take out tech gurus and CEOs while disguising himself using cutting-edge makeup and prosthetics. In pursuit, meanwhile, is a ruthless MI6 agent played by No Time to Die’s Lashana Lynch. What unfolds over 10 tautly plotted episodes is a high-pressure game of cat-and-mouse, with shades of Killing Eve in the pair’s dynamic.

It’s very fun – Ronan Bennett’s scripts are nicely propulsive and twisty – and very pretty. It shot for seven months across Europe, including in Budapest and Croatia. “There have been many years when I’d watch The White Lotus and go, ‘Why do I never get those jobs and hang out on beautiful beaches?’,” Redmayne laughs. “So I wouldn’t want to say that was the reason for taking the job, but it was pretty high up there. I’ve spent years playing Elizabethans and Victorians, or people in the 1920s or 30s. This was the first contemporary thing I think I’ve done in years. And it was nice to be able to just whip on a pair of trousers and a shirt every day, versus lots of 26-piece tweed suits.”

Redmayne grew up watching the 1973 adaptation with his family, so was apprehensive at first when he was approached for the revival. “You don’t want to butcher things that you’ve been obsessed with,” he says. But as he read each of Bennett’s scripts, he found himself won over – 10 hours with the Jackal, rather than just two, allowed for a real character to shine through. “Edward Fox had this astonishing charisma, and could remain deeply enigmatic but deeply compelling,” he says. “But over 10 hours you can get inside that person.” Here, that means introducing the Jackal’s wife and children, sun-kissed Spaniards with no clue what he does for a living.

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The overarching story, too, can be a little more complex. “The original film was quite binary – the Jackal was the baddie, Charles de Gaulle [the Jackal’s target] was the goodie. Here, though, everyone is morally grey. Lashana’s character has these questionable behaviours, too. So you have two people who are obsessive and meticulous, and both extraordinarily compromised.”

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He didn’t dig too deep into the world of international assassins while researching the role. “I did quite a lot of weapons prep, but I didn’t delve into the dark web and try to find an expensive assassin,” he deadpans. “I chose to put my efforts elsewhere. But I do think these people exist in some capacity. And I suppose the line between assassination and terrorism is probably quite thin?” He nods his head. “Oh gosh, this interview suddenly got very serious, didn’t it?” Redmayne does this a lot – as if leaping out of the conversation to carefully self-edit in real time, or try to envisage what the finished interview will look like. (That his wife Hannah, with whom he shares two children, previously worked as a publicist may or may not be a coincidence.)

Anyway, Redmayne is perfectly cast in The Day of the Jackal. He replicates the tapered-down opacity of Fox’s performance, while lending the character exciting notes of humour. You like him, even if you probably shouldn’t. For my money, it’s probably the most relaxed and human Redmayne’s ever been on screen; a total inverse of the squirming menace of Cabaret.

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Redmayne has described himself in the past as a “Marmite” actor – someone whose mere presence in a project will either tickle your fancy or send you running for the hills. This might be down to his penchant for big swings, though; performances that bend to pomp and theatricality. Think the pouty flamboyance of his star-making turn in 2007’s Savage Grace, alongside Julianne Moore. Or the huffing, gasping vocal derangement of his work in Lana and Lilly Wachowski’s 2015 sci-fi flop Jupiter Ascending. Must a performance, though, always be “good”? Can it not just be so balls-to-the-wall wacky that it becomes practically hypnotic?

“There was a moment in the Jupiter Ascending script that described the character’s voice,” Redmayne explains carefully, as if he’s standing in the dock. “It said that his throat had been ‘gnarled out’, or something like that. So at the audition I put on my best ‘space emperor with mummy issues’ voice, and that was what came out.” The Wachowskis let him keep it for filming. “I had the most wonderful time making that film, but it was definitely a big swing. I do hear that there are people who are into [my performance], which is nice. Though I’m also conscious I have a prize somewhere for giving the worst performance of the year.” He chuckles. (It was Worst Supporting Actor at the 2016 Golden Raspberry Awards, if you’re curious.)

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Does he read his own reviews? “Oh, yeah, absolutely,” he replies, without hesitation. He only finds it difficult to read them if he’s in a play, where they can’t help but impact what he’s doing night after night. “TV and film, though, often it’s so long since you did the thing that there’s a level of detachment from it. But the interesting thing about them is that I’d say most actors are harsher critics of themselves than any critic can be. It’s rare that I’m sitting reading a bad review of one of my performances, going, ‘No! They got it wrong!’ I typically sit there going, ‘Oh, yeah, I saw that too.’”

It sounds like a relatively healthy approach to criticism, I suggest. “Oh, none of it’s healthy!” he shoots back. “The whole industry is deeply unhealthy. It’s a horrendous job to do for health reasons.” He giggles again.

I’m curious about his relationship with some of his past work, too. The Danish Girl, for instance, has had an unusual afterlife. While the film – in which Redmayne played Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of gender-affirming surgery – earned reasonably strong reviews upon release, and Redmayne a Best Actor Oscar nod, it’s since been generally regarded as Very Very Bad, a relic of a different era in trans representation and films about queer lives. Redmayne has long stated that he probably shouldn’t have starred in it (“I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake,” he said in 2021). But does he have pride in the work itself?

“I think that goes back to what I was saying about reviews,” he explains. “I’m certainly more critical of my own work than most critics, I would say. So the reason I do this job is to aspire to those glimmers of something that momentarily feels real.” He rubs his eyes. “It sounds f***ing pretentious, but there are those moments, and sometimes they last for under a second, where you’re completely free, and you’re playing against someone, and everything is alive, and momentarily you go somewhere else.”

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How often does he get that feeling? “Perhaps once every five years? And it lasts under two seconds, but it’s addictive. It’s a drug, and the thing you keep aspiring to.” But pride… “Right,” he says. He takes a big pause. “When you watch stuff back, 99 per cent of it is not that moment. I see the foibles and the things that don’t work. And whether something I’ve been in has been criticised or scrutinised because of what it says to the world, that can definitely shift what I think of the story, or how I feel the story should have been told. But that’s separate from whether I have pride in the work, absolutely.” He takes another pause. “That was really convoluted, wasn’t it?”

If Redmayne is very good at a kind of wordy obfuscation, it’s likely because he’s done this for a while now. He was 33 when he won his Oscar for playing Hawking in The Theory of Everything, and had already bounced around Hollywood for nearly a decade before that. He was part of a starry contingent of British actors who went over to Los Angeles around the same time, all of whom seemed to flatshare or at least sleep on each other’s sofas at one point or another: Jamie Dornan, Andrew Garfield, Robert Pattinson, Daredevil’s Charlie Cox.

“We were just a group of dreamers trying to become actors,” he says, proudly. “And we’d all been told that it was an impossible trade – and it is an impossible trade, just as the amount of unemployment is so extreme – so we’re all quite astonished that we’re still here and working. It’s a weird one, though, because in the early days it was profoundly intense, because we were all competing against each other for everything. So these were friendships that were certainly wrestled through, but always with great love and respect.”

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Today, he’s massively grateful for them. “It’s so lovely to be navigating such odd terrain yet having pals going through similar things who you can call up. And it evolves, too. Like, how do you negotiate being an actor and being a parent? How do you negotiate deciding whether to go off and do a job for eight months? How do you deal with the press and interrogation?”

Having such famous friends, though, means he’s often expected to pull out anecdotes from their shared history, yet comes up empty. “I wish we’d done more crazy s*** 20 years ago, just so we’d have more things to spew up on the Jimmy Kimmel show,” he laughs. “But the material is running pretty dry at this point.”

As for what’s next, Redmayne is unsure. Fantastic Beasts is “over, as far as I’m concerned”, so his diary is currently open. But he’s excited for the future. “I love variety, and I love pushing myself, and I hope to continue doing that,” he says. “I’ll always take a big swing, and…” He pauses. He turns to look out of that bloody window again. We sit in silence for a few seconds. Three go by. Then four. Redmayne finally swings his head back round to me. “Oh, I wanted to say something really profound!” he enthuses. “Dammit!” he sighs, as if imagining our interview won’t now have a proper ending. “But A for effort!”

It’s the thought that counts.

‘The Day of the Jackal’ begins on Sky Atlantic and Now on 7 November, and can be streamed weekly on Sky Go and Now