Eddie Redmayne says he is just trying to pay his mortgage.

He said: "A movie star is someone who has to open a film to gazillions of dollars. I'm just trying to pay my mortgage."

Meanwhile, Eddie still believes he could have tapped into his "kinky" side to star in 'Fifty Shades of Grey'.

The British actor was surprised when author E.L. James dismissed him as a possible contender for the lead role of Christian Grey in the upcoming adaptation of her best-selling erotic novel after he expressed an interest in auditioning.

He told Variety magazine: "She took to her Twitter feed to go, 'Under no circumstances!' It was like, all right, all right! Am I that bad? I can put a whip in my hand. I can get all kinky, can't I? Apparently not."

But the 32-year-old actor is glad that his good friend Jamie Dornan eventually landed the part, as they used to hang out in Hollywood together with Andrew Garfield and Tom Sturridge before they all found fame.

He said: "We used to go to the Standard Hotel in West Hollywood, and split a sandwich between us because that meant we could get cheaper parking. We'd swim and play table tennis for hours."

Meanwhile, the 'Theory of Everything' star insists there is no competition between him and 'The Imitation Game' actor Benedict Cumberbatch amid speculation they will both be nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars next February.

He said: "I totally see why people are (comparing us), because of the subject matter; we both play geniuses. But I won't be engaged in that. I think he's the most beautiful actor. I've long admired his work, and continue to do so. I hope there's room for both our films."