"Got a few dodgy looks": When The Day of the Jackal's Eddie Redmayne revealed how fans reacted to spotting him at Harry Potter theme park

The Day of the Jackal star Eddie Redmayne is a beloved actor among the Harry Potter fandom, thanks to his Newt Scamander character in the Fantastic Beasts film series, which serves as a prequel/spin-off to the original seven films. The three movies are set about 70 years before the events of the original films and share the same Wizarding World universe.

While promoting his latest series, The Day of the Jackal, on Jimmy Kimmel Live in October 2024, the actor shared a funny anecdote with host Kimmel. The actor shared his experience of visiting many theme parks at Universal Studios with his two young children:

''They [his children] have came out to Los Angeles for first time and we went to Universal Studios and we've basically fulfilled all of their Lifetime theme park dreams.''

When Kimmel asked him about the famous Harry Potter theme park, The Day of the Jackal star added:

''Of course I went to the Harry Potter park and I got a few dodgy looks in Olivander.''

The actor then went on to share his experience in Olivanders, saying that his children are in their 'perfect Harry Potter age'. Jimmy Kimmel even jokingly added how people might have mistaken the actor as someone who 'works there', since he shares a deep connection to that magical universe.

More on this in our story.

Eddie Redmayne's career: From Fantastic Beasts to The Day of the Jackal

The Academy and BAFTA-winning English actor is best known for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in 2014's biographical drama movie The Theory of Everything. However, Eddie Redmayne gained popularity in pop culture after his role as Newt Scamander in the Harry Potter prequel series. While Newt Scamander does not appear in the seven core Harry Potter movies, he is connected with J.K. Rowling's shared magical universe.

The Day of the Jackal star first debuted as Newt in the 2016 movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. A great wizard and magizoologist of his time, Newt is also the author of the titular book, which is eventually used by Harry, Ron, Hermione and other Hogwarts students in the original movies.

Interestingly, Eddie Redmayne has revealed in many interviews about his audition for the role of young Tom Riddle (eventually played by Christian Coulson in the movie). The actor was inches away from becoming a part of the core Harry Potter movies but destiny had other plans. Five years after Rowling's adaptations wrapped their seven-film run on the big screen, Redmayne officially became a part of the Harry Potter universe.

Harry Potter fans fondly remember Redmayne's three-movie run in the Fantastic Beasts franchise and consider him a core part of the universe, evidenced by the actor's anecdote on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Recently, Redmayne played the titular assassin's character in Peacock's British spy thriller series The Day of the Jackal, adapted from Frederick Forsyth's eponymous 1971 novel. The series received positive reviews from critics, even bagging two Golden Globe nominations, for Best Television Series and Best Actor for Redmayne. Additionally, the show was renewed for a second season, confirming Redmayne's return as the titular assassin.

The Day of the Jackal adaptation on Peacock is set in a contemporary political setting and follows a cat-and-mouse chase between the titular assassin and the intelligence officer intent on capturing him. In addition to Redmayne, the series also stars Lashana Lynch, Úrsula Corberó, Chukwudi Iwuji and Lia Williams.

You can stream The Day of the Jackal on Peacock.

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