Eddie Redmayne: 'Footage of movie mating dance is career-ending material'

Eddie Redmayne is convinced cell phone footage showing him rehearsing his mating dance for Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is "career-ending material".

The Theory of Everything actor plays magizoologist Newt Scamander in the Harry Potter spin-off, and his character encounters a number of weird and wonderful creatures, including an Erumpent, a mix between a rhinoceros and an elephant, which he has to lure away using a mating dance.

Eddie practiced with a choreographer to get the moves right and sent videos of his attempts to director David Yates, though now hopes those clips never see the light of day.

"I worked with a choreographer and I went into a YouTube hole of watching birds doing mating dances and we talked about it a lot and it just came down to a point where she said, 'stand up and commit yourself', so that's what I did," he explained during the film's London premiere on Tuesday (15Nov16).

"Embarrassingly, there's about ten of these videos. I sent them to David, the director, and he'd sent back, 'I don't think that's quite seductive enough. I'm not sure if the Erumpent would be lured by that'. So on a phone somewhere is career-ending material but hopefully it won't (come out)."

He also admitted he has never been filled with more dread than when he read the two words "mating dance" in J.K. Rowling's script. The author, who makes her screenwriting debut, added she loved that sequence but didn't want to ruin the spectacle by discussing it.

David, who directed the final four Harry Potter films, told WENN that it took him no time at all to agree to returning to Rowling's wizarding world.

"It took me about 35 seconds to think about it... It was such a wonderful opportunity,” he smiled. “Jo had written a beautiful script, I got the opportunity to work on that script with her and with the wonderful (screenwriter) Steve Kloves... It was a no-brainer to come back, honestly. You see all these people that are here tonight anxious to see this film and it's really heart-lifting."

Eddie, David and the author were also joined on the blue carpet in London's Leicester Square by cast members Ezra Miller, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol.