Eddie Redmayne is playing down his chances of winning an Oscar saying that he is refusing to listen to all of the speculation.
Redmayne has received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in biopic The Theory of Everything - which has been winning over critics since it screened on the festival circuit last year.
For his central performance, Redmayne has already received a Best Actor nomination at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild and with the Oscar nominations just around the corner he is expected to complete the set.
However, Redmayne says he is trying to avoid all of the Oscar talk. Speaking to the Herts and Essex Observer, the actor said: "Do you know what? I try not to listen to it. Because if you listen to the good stuff, you have to listen to all the bad stuff too.
"And that's actually where madness lies. So, I bury my head down and just put one foot in front of the other."
The Theory of Everything is the first time that we have seen Redmayne on the big screen since Les Miserables and it is set to be the movie that will send his star rocketing even further. He and Felicity Jones - who plays Jane Hawking - have both been at the centre of plenty of awards talk in recent weeks as she has also picked up Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for her performance.
The 2015 Oscar nominations will not be revealed until next week, just days after the Golden Globe winners have been unveiled. And Redmayne could well walk away with his first major award, but will face tough competition from Steve Carell, Jake Gyllenhaal, Benedict Cumberbatch, and David Oyelowo.
The Theory of Everything will be the first time that we will see Redmayne on the big screen in 2015, as he has also completed work on Jupiter Ascending, which is set to be released in March. The movie will see the British actor team up with director Andy and Lana Wachowski for the first time, while Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis are also on the cast list.
The Theory of Everything is out now and the Oscar nominations will be revealed on 15th January.
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