Les Misérables | WellnessMaster

We now know him best for his work in hit shows and films like The Crown, Challengers and the upcoming Knives Out movie Wake Up Dead Man, but Josh O’Connor has revealed that long before he was an international name, there was one major role he missed out on.

During a new interview with Radio Times, Josh revealed that his first ever audition was for the role of Marius in the film adaptation of the musical Les Misérables, which arrived in cinemas in 2012.

“They were auditioning everyone! But I didn’t know that,” the Emmy winner recalled. “I don’t have any actors in my family, so everything was new to me.”

Having never seen Les Mis on stage at the time, Josh swotted up on Marius’ song Empty Chairs At Empty Tables, and was told afterwards: “Josh, we would love you to come back”.

He continued: “I got a recall, which was good, but I’m very dyslexic, so I didn’t read the full email. I just read, ‘We want you to come back!’.

“A week later, I’m on my way, walking through central London to go to my recall and I bump into a friend of mine who was doing the play Richard II with Eddie Redmayne. He’s like, ‘Where are you going?’. And I was like, ‘I’m really nervous. I have a recall to be in the movie of Les Misérables’. And he said, ‘My friend Eddie is playing Marius!’.

“I then realised my recall was for a very minor role, but I hadn’t learned the song … I didn’t even know the song. And it was awful. I didn’t get that part.”

Eddie Redmayne as Marius in 2012's Les Misérables — Eddie Redmayne as Marius in 2012’s Les Misérables

Eddie Redmayne did, indeed, get to play Marius in the Les Mis film, which wound up being a breakthrough moment for the British actor, who won his first Oscar just a few years later.

It wasn’t all bad news for Josh, though.

He, in fact, did end up playing Marius himself, albeit in a BBC drama based on Victor Hugo’s book Les Misérables, which also featured the likes of future Stranger Things star Joseph Quinn and his on-screen mum Olivia Colman, as well as David Oyelowo, Adeel Akhtar and Dominic West, who would take on the role of Prince Charles in The Crown when Josh stepped down at the end of season four.

Read Josh O’Connor’s interview in full in the new issue of Radio Times.

Taylor Swift has recounted a “nightmare” audition she had for the film adaption of Les Miserables opposite Eddie Redmayne.

The singer spoke about the screen test for Tom Hooper’s 2012 version of the musical as she appeared alongside Eddie on Friday’s edition of The Graham Norton Show.

Taylor, who did ultimately not land a part in the film, joked the audition became hellish after she was made to look “like death”.

She recalled: “Basically I was up for two roles – I had the look of Cosette and the range vocally of Eponine, so it was established I was there for a good time but not for a long time, I wasn’t going to get the role.

“But they asked if I would like to go to London to do a screen test with Eddie, who is one of my favourite actors, and I thought ‘This isn’t an experience I am going to get again in my life’, so I said yes.

“When I got there they put me in full 19th century street urchin costume and told me they were going to paint my teeth brown and I was like, ‘You are going to do that after I meet Eddie Redmayne, right?’

“But no, they made me look like death and it became a nightmare. When I met Eddie I didn’t open my mouth to speak!”

Bono, Taylor Swift, Eddie Redmayne and Alex Scott during filming for The Graham Norton Show

Eddie, who was cast to play Marius Pontmercy in Les Miserables added: “I thought we would just be singing off each other – I didn’t know we would be in each other’s arms.

“My overriding memory of it is that I had had pizza and garlic dough balls beforehand and all I could think about was my garlic breath while Taylor was dying in my arms and I was trying to show emotion.”

I’d Do Anything star Samantha Barks ultimately landed the role of Eponine in the film, with Hollywood star Anne Hathaway playing Fantine and Mamma Mia! actress Amanda Seyfried playing Cosette alongside Hugh Jackman’s Jean Valjean.

The Graham Norton Show airs on BBC One on Friday at 10.40pm.

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Tag Archives: Les Misérables

Josh O’Connor Gets Candid About His ‘Awful’ Les Misérables Audition Blunder

Taylor Swift Recalls ‘Nightmare’ Film Audition Alongside Eddie Redmayne