Eddie Redmayne doesn’t understand why actresses “whine” about wearing corsets.

The British heartthrob – who previously modelled for Burberry – has appeared in a series of hit movies, most recently playing Marius in Les Misérables. Eddie also has a background in theatre and has recalled landing the role of Viola in an all-male production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night when he was at university.

He doesn’t understand why women always moan about wearing restrictive undergarments after donning a corset for the part.

“I was a boy playing a girl playing a boy,” he told W magazine. “I had to wear a whalebone corset. To this day, when actresses on set start whining to me about the pain of their corsets, I say, ‘I’ve been there. It’s not that bad.’”

Eddie often features on best dressed lists, but has admitted it isn’t always easy to choose clothes.

The 31-year-old is colour-blind, but there is always one shade he is drawn to.

“I’m colour-blind, but I can pick out that blue anywhere,” he explained. “I wrote 30,000 words on this colour [for my university dissertation], and I never grew tired of it. The pigment is staggering. It’s amazing that a colour can be so emotional. One can only hope to achieve that intensity in acting.”

The star has won legions of fans with his striking good looks, particularly his full lips. Eddie has joked that his strongest facial feature helped him win a role in The Good Shepherd, in which he played Angelina Jolie’s son.

“I doubt it was my acting – I have my big lips to thank for getting cast,” he smiled.