Eddie Redmayne Recalls His 'Trial and Error Experience' of Using Prosthetics onThe Day of the Jackal: 'Sweat Oozing Out'

Mar. 15, 2025

Eddie Redmayne (left) and pictured in ‘The Day of the Jackal’.Photo:Gareth Cattermole/Getty; Marcell Piti/Carnival Film & Television Limited

Gareth Cattermole/Getty; Marcell Piti/Carnival Film & Television Limited

Eddie Redmayneisn’t disguising his thoughts on wearing prosthetics.In an interview withVarietythat published on Friday Nov. 8, the Academy Award winner, 42, went into graphic detail about wearing the special effects makeup used for his character’s transformation inThe Day of the Jackal, a modern retelling of the classic 1973 film.In the first episode of the Peacock thriller series, Redmayne disguises himself as “an elderly German cleaner."“My overwhelming memory of those days was Richard coming and doing pin pricks through the prosthetic and this sweat oozing out the top,” Redmayne told the publication.Eddie Redmayne in ‘The Day of the Jackal’.Marcell Piti/Carnival Film & Television Limited"You don’t get much time to prep with them, because it costs so much money, and they take so long to put on,” theFantastic Beastsactor added. “And they’re so deeply uncomfortable that people quite often go, ‘Oh, that’s a prosthetic performance.’ ““But having experienced quite a lot of it myself, when I look at someone likeColin Farrell’s performance [inThe Penguin] orGary Oldman’s performance [inThe Darkest Hour], you don’t get much time to prep in it. So it’s really a trial and error experience.“One important part of making the prosthetic believable, Redmayne added, is creating a voice to match. InDay of the Jackal, Redmayne spoke German as the elderly caretaker while under layers of makeup.“You can have a wonderful prosthetic, but if that doesn’t marry with a voice, then you’re screwed,” he said. “Once you’ve prepped the German-speaking, you’ve then got to drop the pitch of it in order to marry with the fact that this guy is a 70-year-old chain smoker.“Eddie Redmayne in 2024.Gareth Cattermole/GettyThe Peacock show is an adaptation of the1973 movie of the same name. In the Peacock remake, “an unrivaled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal, makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee,” an official synopsis reads.“But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer (Lashana Lynch) who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.“Eddie Redmayne in ‘The Day of the Jackal’.Marcell Piti/Carnival Film & Television LimitedNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The Day of the Jackalpremieres Thursday, Nov. 14 with its first five episodes on Peacock. The remaining five episodes will drop weekly on the streaming service.

Eddie Redmayneisn’t disguising his thoughts on wearing prosthetics.

In an interview withVarietythat published on Friday Nov. 8, the Academy Award winner, 42, went into graphic detail about wearing the special effects makeup used for his character’s transformation inThe Day of the Jackal, a modern retelling of the classic 1973 film.

In the first episode of the Peacock thriller series, Redmayne disguises himself as “an elderly German cleaner.”

“My overwhelming memory of those days was Richard coming and doing pin pricks through the prosthetic and this sweat oozing out the top,” Redmayne told the publication.

Eddie Redmayne in ‘The Day of the Jackal’.Marcell Piti/Carnival Film & Television Limited

Marcell Piti/Carnival Film & Television Limited

“You don’t get much time to prep with them, because it costs so much money, and they take so long to put on,” theFantastic Beastsactor added. “And they’re so deeply uncomfortable that people quite often go, ‘Oh, that’s a prosthetic performance.’ "

“But having experienced quite a lot of it myself, when I look at someone likeColin Farrell’s performance [inThe Penguin] orGary Oldman’s performance [inThe Darkest Hour], you don’t get much time to prep in it. So it’s really a trial and error experience.”

One important part of making the prosthetic believable, Redmayne added, is creating a voice to match. InDay of the Jackal, Redmayne spoke German as the elderly caretaker while under layers of makeup.

“You can have a wonderful prosthetic, but if that doesn’t marry with a voice, then you’re screwed,” he said. “Once you’ve prepped the German-speaking, you’ve then got to drop the pitch of it in order to marry with the fact that this guy is a 70-year-old chain smoker.”

Eddie Redmayne in 2024.Gareth Cattermole/Getty

Gareth Cattermole/Getty

The Peacock show is an adaptation of the1973 movie of the same name. In the Peacock remake, “an unrivaled and highly elusive lone assassin, the Jackal, makes his living carrying out hits for the highest fee,” an official synopsis reads.

“But following his latest kill, he meets his match in a tenacious British intelligence officer (Lashana Lynch) who starts to track down the Jackal in a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase across Europe, leaving destruction in its wake.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Day of the Jackalpremieres Thursday, Nov. 14 with its first five episodes on Peacock. The remaining five episodes will drop weekly on the streaming service.

source: people.com