Having been on our TV screens in ‘Birdsong’, on the cinema screen in ‘My Week With Marilyn’ and on the stage in ‘Richard II’, it has been a busy time for young British actor Eddie Redmayne.

We caught up with him yesterday at the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards in London where he won ‘Best Shakespearean Performance’.

Firstly, congratulations! You won the Most Promising Newcomer Award here, so how does it feel to come back and win again?

It feels really strange. It’s really lovely as it was the first thing I ever came to when Mark Rylance won the Shakespeare award when we did a production of ‘Twelfth Night’, he played Olivia and I played Viola. It was the first Awards ceremony I’d ever been to and it was completely overwhelming so it’s lovely to be back and to be ten years on and still working frankly!

This award has been voted for by the critics; do you believe the critics’ opinions are important?

(After a bit of umming and ahhing about what to say) I’ll tell you honestly...yes they are. I read them all on this production and then you can’t wake up the next morning because something has been so hideous and it’s human nature to forget the nice ones instantly. My New Year’s Resolution has been to not read them anymore, which everybody has been telling me to do for years. I didn’t want to mention that in front of the critics though that I’ll no longer be reading their reviews!

Now you’re a big movie star, are you still keen to do theatre?

(After trying to argue he is not really a big movie star) Yes, of course, that’s how I got into it by doing plays. I love doing theatre and being back in London with family and friends as when you’re filming you’re away a lot.

When you’re starring in huge films and winning numerous awards, how hard is it to stay grounded and keep living a normal life?

It’s not that hard, my life hasn’t really changed if I’m being honest. People keep going on about it but it has not changed at all.

It was a great 2011 for you, what are you working on in 2012?

I’m doing a film version of ‘Les Miserable’, the musical, which we start filming in March time. It’s got a good group of actors and a great director in Tom Hooper so hopefully it should be good.

We wish Eddie all the best for the coming year and are sure his popularity is going to keep on soaring.