Eddie Redmayne has lots of secrets to keep. The British actor is the star of JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts films, set in the early 20th century and following the adventures of magizoologist Newt Scamander. In a sequel due out later this year, Redmayne's Newt will be joined by Jude Law and Johnny Depp, playing younger versions of Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald, but he's under strict instructions to stay tight-lipped about his role in the Potterverse.

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Still, when RadioTimes.com sat down with him for a chat about Early Man, his new film from the makers of Wallace and Gromit, we managed to squeeze a few details from him. Like his experience working with Law – "I've known Jude for many years and I like him hugely and it was really wonderful watching him find the young version of Dumbledore."

How would he describe his co-star's portrayal of the iconic future headmaster of Harry Potter? "Playful".

As for Newt, he's "pretty central" this time around. "It's really a progression of the story as we left off and what's going on with him and his relationship with Dumbledore".

Fantastic Beasts isn't in cinemas until November 16th, but in the meantime Redmayne is busy promoting his new film Early Man which sees him play Stone Age hunter/gatherer Dug who finds himself playing a football match against Bronze Age warriors to secure a future for his tribe.

For Redmayne, it was a chance to finally realise his footballing ambitions...

"I come from a family of really talented sportspeople – severely talented sportspeople – and I am catastrophically bad. The last time I really played football was when I was about eight years old playing for the Colet Court team against Kings Wimbledon. I was in goal, I let a pea roller through my legs and I was fired from the team and that is pretty much the scarring history of my footballing career which is why this film is one of the greatest things I’ve ever been a part of."

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You heard it from Eddie. Early Man is released in UK cinemas on Friday 26th January. Watch the trailer below:

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