Professor Stephen Hawking has told of his pride in Eddie Redmayne after the British star landed the best actor Oscar for his role as the famous physicist.
The 33-year-old won the gong for his performance in The Theory of Everything after being pitted against another favourite – Michael Keaton – and fellow Briton Benedict Cumberbatch.
Hawking, who has made huge breakthroughs in science while battling motor neurone disease, told of his delight on his Facebook page.
“Congratulations to Eddie Redmayne for winning an Oscar for playing me in The Theory of Everything movie,” he said. “Well done, Eddie, I’m very proud of you.”
Redmayne won over even more fans with his excited and emotional response to his “extraordinary” big win, breaking off midway through his acceptance speech to exclaim “wow”.
“I don’t think I’m capable of articulating quite how I feel right now. I’m fully aware that I’m a lucky, lucky man,” he said.
Well done, Eddie, I’m very proud of you
He dedicated the award to “all of those people around the world battling” motor neurone disease and said that the Oscar belonged to ‘Stephen’ and his ex-wife Jane (Hawking) and the rest of their “exceptional family”.
Clutching his Oscar, Redmayne said: “I will be its custodian and I promise you I will look after him, I will polish him, I will answer his beck and call and wait on him hand and foot.”
Later, Redmayne said that being on stage was “an extraordinary euphoria... something I will not forget in a hurry”.
Backstage, he told reporters that he had been trying to “bury all this frenzy of nerves and white noise and trying to speak articulately and, of course, you then forget everything”.
He admitted that despite now being an Oscar winner, it had not always been easy to find work.
“I’ve never really had much choice in work-wise, I’ve always had to fight for the jobs and fought pretty hard for them, certainly for The Theory of Everything,” he said. “So as far as where you go from here, just retaining employment will keep me very happy.”
Redmayne, who has also won a Golden Globe, Bafta and Screen Actors Guild for the performance, thanked his “staggering partner in crime Felicity Jones” who lost out on the leading actress Oscar to Julianne Moore.