Taylor Swift describes her Les Misérables audition with Eddie Redmayne. Early on in her career, it was announced that Swift had been offered a supporting role in Tom Hooper's movie musical adaptation of Les Misérables as Éponine, but the role ultimately went to the critically acclaimed Samantha Barks. Despite being mainly known as a singer, pop artist Swift has since landed several acting roles throughout her career, in both movies, television, and animation. Most recently, she played a role in Amsterdam, which also starred Christian Bale and Margot Robbie, and last year she earned raves for the short film she directed (and briefly starred in) for her song "All Too Well."
In addition to Barks, Les Misérables also starred Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, Anne Hathaway as Fantine, Amanda Seyfried as Cosette, Russell Crowe as Javert, Sacha Baron Cohen as Monsieur Thérnadier, Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thérnadier, Eddie Redmayne as Marius, and many other talented stage and screen actors. The film received numerous accolades from audiences and critics, though it garnered some negative reviews largely due to Crowe's vocal performance. Hathaway won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her moving performance, with Redmayne, Jackman, Seyfried, and Barks also earning praise for their roles and prowess as singers as well.
During an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, Swift and Redmayne detail the surprising circumstances of their first meeting, a cringe-worthy meet-cute during a Les Misérables screen test. Swift reveals that she did in fact audition for the role of Éponine, though it was unclear whether she would be a better fit for that role or the role of Cosette, meaning that she was sure she wouldn't end up getting either role. However, she continued the process in order to meet Redmayne, though their meeting wasn't quite what she expected as they were screen testing Éponine's death scene. See what the stars have to say below:
Swift: I wasn’t going to get this role. But they were like, well do you wanna come to London for one last screen test with Eddie Redmayne? And I’m like, "This seems like an experience I wanna have in my life." [Turning to Redmayne] You’re like, one of my favorite actors, you’re so ridiculously talented. So I was like, "Yeah, I’ll go to London.’ So I get there, and they’re like, "Okay, so we really wanna make you look like Éponine…" So they were like, "We’re actually gonna paint your teeth brown for this." And I’m like, "So you’re gonna do that after I meet Eddie Redmayne, right? That’s not something you do before, I get to meet people and then you do the brown teeth."And they’re like, "Oh, no, everybody’s gonna meet you with the brown teeth and we’re gonna do big circles under your eyes, like you’re near death," and I was like, "This has immediately become a nightmare for me…"
Redmayne: My overwhelming memory of the time is that I had just been to pizza express beforehand, and I had some garlic dough balls. I thought we were gonna be singing off each other, you know, but they had us…it was so weird because Taylor was dressed fully as Éponine and I was in my tracksuit. And they had us on the floor, singing sweet nothings into each other, and all I knew is I just had garlic bread.
Swift: And I had brown teeth! You were weeping, and I thought it was just because of how I looked. It’s nice to hear we were both struggling in that moment.
What Would Les Misérables Have Looked Like With Taylor Swift?
Les Misérables featured several powerhouse performers, which is fitting considering the many tragic characters featured in the musical. Éponine is a significant supporting character in Les Misérables, serving as a confidante of main character Marius while being in love with him, though that love is unrequited until she dies in his arms in the scene that the stars mentioned auditioning with, in which the characters sing "Little Fall of Rain." Barks proved exceptional in the role, offering a humble performance as a brave girl who is often overlooked by her peers and the man she loves. As a theater actor, she was able to bring a deep emotion to the role that earned the viewers' empathy until the end.
Swift, on the other had, has an extremely recognizable face due to her pop/country star fame, especially since her career as an artist truly began to take off a few years prior to Les Misérables, in 2009. The singer's presence in the film would likely have broken the immersive moviegoing experience for audiences, making it difficult to see her as anyone other than 'Taylor Swift,' let alone the unassuming character of Éponine. Though it's likely that she put on a strong performance with her auditions due to her numerous callbacks, it's clear that neither Swift nor Les Misérables suffered after parting ways. Ultimately, the behind the scenes details provided by Redmayne and Swift just serve to add some humorous lore to Hooper's Les Misérables.
Source: The Graham Norton Show