Taylor Swift revealed that she was screen-testing for a part in the film adaptation of Les Miserables, and she says the experience was a “nightmare.” While appearing on Friday’s episode of The Graham Norton Show to promote her new album midnighttold the star she auditioned for two roles in the 2012 film — heroines Cosette and Eponine — and though she knew she wouldn’t get either, she jumped at the chance to screen-test star Eddie Redmayne.
(Cosette and Éponine eventually went to Amanda Seyfried and Samantha Barks respectively).
“Actually, I auditioned for two roles in Les Mis, and I had done a few auditions and went to New York. I had more of Cosette’s looks and Éponine’s vocal range, so I was certain I was there for a good time, but not for a long time. I wouldn’t get the part,” Swift told the BBC One show host.
Despite being unlikely to book both roles, she got the chance to test with Redmayne, who had already been cast as both girls’ love interest, Marius. With the singer gushing over the Theory of everything star as “one of her favorite actors,” she explained that the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“This seems like an experience I want to have in my life… so yes, I’m going to London,” she said.
Upon arriving in London, director Tom Hooper wanted Swift in full costume for the role of Éponine, who is – for lack of a better term, a “19th century street urchin.” The transformation involved dark makeup under her eyes and painting her teeth brown, which she hoped would come after she had a chance to meet Redmayne out of costume.
“So you’re going to do that after I’m meeting Eddie Redmayne, right? You don’t do that before, I meet people and then do you do the brown teeth?” the star joked.
But Swift could only be so lucky in her wildest dreams, and she recalled thinking, “This has instantly become a nightmare for me.”
Eddie Redmayne says screen test was equally tricky for him: ‘I had garlic breath’
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Though Swift barely opened her mouth when she first met Redmayne in an attempt to hide her newfound streetboy smile, the actor says he had his own insecurities during the London screen test.
“My overwhelming memory is that I had just been to Pizza Express before and I had some garlic dough balls… It was so weird because Taylor was fully dressed as Éponine, and I was like in my tracksuit,” recalls Redmayne, who appeared next to are wouldve-be Les Mis co-star on The Graham Norton Show.
And if that wasn’t enough, the two had to get very close very quickly. Performing an emotional song where Éponine dies in Marius’ arms, Redmayne says he didn’t want to “punish” his scene partner with his offensive breath.
“I thought we’d just sing to each other… And they had us on the floor singing sweet nothings to each other, and all I knew was I just had garlic breath,” he said. “I tried to show emotion and at the same time not punish you.”
“It’s nice to know we were both having a hard time at the time,” Swift laughed.
View the full Graham Norton Show segment below: