Redmayne's Les Mis solo nerves (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Redmayne's Les Mis solo nerves

10:53am Thursday 6th December 2012 in National Entertainment News © Press Association 2013

Eddie Redmayne has admitted it took him 22 takes to perfect his solo in Les Miserables - because he was desperate to get it right.

The British actor plays Marius Pontmercy in Tom Hooper's musical drama film and confessed it was daunting waiting to shoot his big solo of Empty Chairs At Empty Tables, particularly as the movie's other stars, including Hugh Jackman, were giving such impressive vocal performances.

He said: "The stakes get higher throughout shooting because to begin with you'd come on set and hear whispers on set of the crew of someone sounding breathtaking or you'd witness Hugh singing Bring Him Home to you which was extraordinary.

"And Tom masochistically would push Empty Chairs At Empty Tables further back into the schedule. It ended up being the weekend and I remember coming in and thinking that is the day. With theatre you can go and amend it the next day if you screw it up. Here I knew I'd leave at the end of the day and wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Then after six months I'd see the film and be disappointed with what you'd done which tends to be the case."

Eddie, 29, said when the big day arrived he refused to stop shooting the scene until it was perfect.

He said: "And so we did seven takes and Tom said, 'I think you've got it mate' and I was like, 'No, no, no, no. We'll keep going until there's actually blood coming out of my eyeballs!'."

Les Miserables, which also stars Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter, will open in the UK on January 11.