The physicist was just as impressed with the actor's performance as everyone who saw the heartfelt film.
After winning the Oscar for Best Actor on Sunday, Eddie Redmayne had another reason to smile when renowned physicist Stephen Hawking congratulated him on winning for his portrayal of him in The Theory of Everything.
"Congratulations to Eddie Redmayne for winning an #Oscar for playing me in The Theory of Everything movie," the 73-year-old professor wrote on his Facebook page. "Well done Eddie, I'm very proud of you."
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Prior to the big event, the film's scriptwriter, Anthony McCarten, announced that Hawking -- who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neurone disease -- would not be able to attend the 87th Annual Academy Awards as he was not well enough to fly to Los Angeles.
Upon accepting the coveted award, an overwhelmed Redmayne expressed his gratitude toward Hawking and his whole family. "This belongs to all of those people around the world battling ALS. It belongs to one exceptional family: Stephen, Jane, Jonathan and the Hawking children," the 33-year-old actor said. "I will be its custodian and I will promise you I will look after him. I will polish him. I will answer his beck and call. I will wait on him hand and foot."
Redmayne also thanked his on-screen wife, Felicity Jones, and his new, real-life wife, Hannah Bagshawe. "But I would not be here were it not for an extraordinary troupe of people. My staggering partner in crime, Felicity Jones," he began. "Now, finally, please, this is so extraordinary. I just want to thank my family and you, Hannah, my wife. I love you so much. We have a new fellow coming to share our apartment."
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The flabbergasted star noted, "Please know this, I am fully aware that I am a lucky, lucky man."
