Oscars rewind: 10 years before ‘Cabaret’ the academy said ‘Willkommen’ to Eddie Redmayne in ‘The Theory of Everything’

Among the new productions on Broadway this spring is a revival of the classic musical “Cabaret,” starring Eddie Redmayne. In 2014 he starred as Stephen Hawking in director James Marsh‘s biopic “The Theory of Everything.” His performance won him an Oscar for Best Actor (making him the eighth youngest winner in that category at age 33), overcoming stiff competition from Michael Keaton, the star of the Best Picture winner of that year, “Birdman.” How did Redmayne pull through? Here are five reasons.

1. The industry felt he came into his own

Prior to “The Theory of Everything,” Redmayne was a rising star. In 2010 he won a Tony for his Broadway debut starring opposite Alfred Molina in John Logan‘s play “Red.” He went on to get more prominent film roles where critics, audiences and the industry started to take notice of him. Among them were Simon Curtis‘s 2011 Oscar-nominated biopic “My Week with Marilyn” and Tom Hooper‘s 2012 Oscar-winning musical “Les Misérables.” Yet it was his work in “The Theory of Everything” where he officially solidified himself as one of the most accomplished young working actors in the business.

2. He had a more challenging role

Redmayne portrayed Hawking, a real-life physicist who was diagnosed with ALS at age 21, which gradually paralyzed him over the decades and eventually left him without the ability to speak. It was a challenge similar to what Daniel Day-Lewis took on as Christy Brown, an artist with cerebral palsy, in “My Left Foot,” which won him the first of his three Oscars in 1989. Playing a real person can be very challenging in and of itself, and so can playing an individual with physical disabilities. If done well, performances like that are catnip for awards voters.

Whereas with Keaton, many might’ve felt he was playing a kind of parody of himself: a former movie star who was famous for playing a superhero back in the day and was trying to mount a comeback. That somewhat mirrored his own life and career up to that point. Thus voters probably thought it wasn’t a big stretch for him. When Keaton went on to appear as one of David Letterman‘s final guests on “The Late Show” a few months later he mentioned that during the academy luncheon, a man at a table called him over to sing his praises for his performance in “Birdman.” That compliment left Keaton feeling he was “a lock” to win … before that same man reminded him that portraying illness is often key to winning an Oscar.

3. He had a likability factor

With the weight of Hawking’s illness in “The Theory of Everything” taken into account, it was hard for audiences not to feel for him throughout the film. Compare that to Keaton, whose character in “Birdman,” a tormented actor dealing with many problems in both his professional and personal life, might’ve been too abrasive to win over a majority of voters. Plus Redmayne was present on the campaign trail all season long kissing babies, and he was a real gentleman. Voters were clearly taken with him.

4. His film had substantial support itself

“The Theory of Everything” was a constant presence throughout the season. It not only reaped Best Picture nominations from the Golden Globe, Critics Choice, PGA and BAFTA Awards, it also received a SAG ensemble bid despite the film mostly being a two-hander between Redmayne and Felicity Jones as Hawking’s wife Jane. At the Oscars, “The Theory of Everything” was up for five accolades: Best Picture, Best Actor (Redmayne), Best Actress (Jones), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Score.

While support for the movie wasn’t as broad as “Birdman” (which had nine noms), respect for it was still clearly there. If academy members wanted to throw a bone to “The Theory of Everything” someplace, Redmayne in Best Actor was the best way to do so. Because they did, 2014 marked the first year in the expansion era when every single Best Picture nominee took home at least one award.

5. SAG was a major turning point

Keaton and Redmayne were neck-and-neck throughout the season. They each won their respective categories at the Golden Globes (the former for Best Film Comedy/Musical Actor and the latter for Best Film Drama Actor). The first time they went head-to-head was at Critics Choice, where Keaton prevailed. So when it came to the industry awards, most predicted that Keaton would win SAG while Redmayne would take BAFTA. At the SAG Awards, “Birdman” did manage to win the coveted prize for best film ensemble. You’d think that would mean an individual win for Keaton too, right?

Yet in a shocking turn of events, Julia Roberts announced Redmayne as the winner. Our very own editor-in-chief Tom O’Neil was among the minority who successfully predicted that. At that point there was the feeling that if Keaton couldn’t win the SAG Award for an actor-friendly role in a film that won for its cast, it was pretty much the end of the road for him. Indeed, Redmayne went on to win the BAFTA, as expected. Thus that final precursor haul sealed the deal for his Oscar.

Will he seal the deal again at the Tonys too?

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