Eddie Redmayne has revealed that he once auditioned for a role in Harry Potter – and was turned down.

The Oscar-winning Theory Of Everything actor stars in forthcoming Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. However, he could have appeared in Rowling’s wizarding universe nearly 15 years earlier.

“I actually auditioned to play Tom Riddle while I was at university. I properly failed and didn’t get a callback,” Redmayne told Empire.


Tom Riddle, the young incarnation of Harry’s nemesis Lord Voldemort, appears in 2002’s Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets, played by actor Christian Coulson.

“Over the years, I always hoped I might be cast as a member of the Weasley family – I’m colour blind, but I’ve always been told there’s a tinge of red to my hair – but unfortunately not,” Redmayne added.

“A lot of my friends, like Domhnall Gleeson and Rob Pattinson, got their Harry Potter moment, but I never got mine.”

JK Rowling has written the script for Fantastic Beasts, which is set around 70 years before the Harry Potter saga begins. It focuses on Newt Scamander, the author of one of Harry’s Hogwarts text books, and his adventures in New York City.

Redmayne stars as Newt Scamander, heading up a cast that includes Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller and Samantha Morton.


David Yates, who directed the final four Harry Potter films, has returned to direct Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. The film hits cinemas on November 18.

Explaining the film’s premise when it was announced in 2013, Rowling said: “Although it will be set in the worldwide community of witches and wizards where I was so happy for 17 years, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter series, but an extension of the wizarding world.

“The laws and customs of the hidden magical society will be familiar to anyone who has read the Harry Potter books or seen the films, but Newt’s story will start in New York, 70 years before Harry’s gets underway.”

READ: ‘Harry Potter’ Spin-off Film ‘Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them’: Everything We Know So Far