Eddie Redmayne Celebrates Other Oscar Nominees: Hosts ‘Film Is Great’ Party With James Corden

If it wasn’t clear from his singing of praises for Leo DiCaprio and his “certain” win of the Best Actor Oscar this year, it certainly became clear that Eddie Redmayne celebrates other Oscar nominees when he co-hosted the “Film Is Great” pre-Oscars reception with Carpool Karaoke comedian James Corden last night. The event, presented by the British Consulate in celebration of great British actors and home-grown nominees ahead of the 2016 Oscars, was held at Fig & Olive in West Hollywood on Friday night, and the star-studded mass of attendees was entertained by charming co-hosts Eddie Redmayne and James Corden.

So proud to announce my brand new boy band #WrongDirection pic.twitter.com/cFh4Ht8z8m

— James Corden (@JKCorden) February 27, 2016

Eddie has made no secret of his pick for the Best Actor award this year. The Telegraph reported yesterday that Redmayne touted DiCaprio a “definite” winner, a mark of his good-sportsmanship as an Oscar nominee, and former winner himself. Redmayne, nominated for his role as transgender artist Lili Elbe, was also vocal in his support for Swedish talent Alicia Vikander to win Best Supporting Actress at the Critics’ Choice Awards in January, for her role as the supportive wife of Eddie’s Lili in The Danish Girl. Eddie was even more thrilled at Vikander’s recent win of Outstanding performance by a female actress at the Screen Actors’ Guild for the same role.

Eddie Redmayne celebrated other Oscar nominees, indeed, but the limelight hasn’t strayed far from last year’s Best Male Actor award winner. Eddie won the prestigious award for his role as Steven Hawking in The Theory of Everything, and many have named Redmayne a favorite for the award this year as well. Of his nomination, Eddie remains markedly modest.

“I am just trying to keep one foot in front of the other. It’s been an amazing year and I’ve been very, very lucky,” said Redmayne to The Telegraph.

As host Eddie introduced British Consul General Chris O’Connor, he spoke of the remarkable advancement of fellow home-grown talent in Hollywood and at the Oscars, again showing he celebrates other Oscar nominees.

“What I think is extraordinary this year is that out of 24 categories of nominations at the Oscars, there are Brits in 21 of them. It shows the depth and the breadth of skills in our country,” said Redmayne.

Eddie and co-host James Corden both drew laughs from the crowd with their talk of industry secrets.

“I’m desperate to travel, I keep saying to my wife… ‘Let’s go abroad to work.’ I’ve just finished shooting a film which is entirely set in New York; we shot it all in Watford,” said Eddie Redmayne to the L.A. Times. “[and] a major part of [The Danish Girl] was shot in Elstree [Studios, in Hertfordshire].”

The Los Angeles Times also spoke of Redmayne’s co-host, James Corden’s, mastery of the role of “comedic emcee.”

“Midway through the night, Corden took the stage for the presentation of nominees but first joked that the gender pay gap in Hollywood was so pronounced that ‘Eddie Redmayne had to take a pay cut halfway through ‘The Danish Girl.'”

The Oscars cards will fall as they may, whether or not Eddie Redmayne celebrates other Oscar nominees or not— but it’s nice to know Eddie’s a sport about it. Redmayne will next be seen alongside Chemma Chan in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, due for release in November this year.

[Image by Omar Vega/AP]