10 Actors Who Tried Way Too Hard To Be Edgy
6. Eddie Redmayne - Jupiter Ascending
Who knows what Eddie Redmayne was thinking when he took on the role of space emperor Balem Abrasax in The Wachowskis' roundly lambasted space opera immediately after his Oscar-winning turn in The Theory Of Everything. Was it a bet? Did he intentionally seek out the worst possible follow-up? Or was he simply enthralled by the grandiose, pretentious script and impenetrable plot?
The film is a mess. Quite a pretty mess, with some colourful visuals, an admirable musical score from Michael Giacchino and a refreshingly unashamed campiness, but that doesn't stop it being utterly incoherent. Redmayne is especially terrible in his melodramatic, villainous role.
Seemingly channelling Gary Oldman with none of the nuance, Redmayne's only two settings were to deliver smug, barely audible platitudes or to scream at the top of his lungs with tears streaming down his face. Presumably, this was an attempt to make the character seem unpredictable and unhinged but it didn't work at all. The performance lacked depth, and dialogue that even George Lucas would have thought unacceptable certainly didn't help.