As Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Eddie Redmayne specializes in exotic and sometimes deadly creatures. In The Day of the Jackal, his new series for Peacock, he is an exotic and sometimes deadly creature. Based on the 1971 novel by Frederick Forsyth, the show chronicles the cat-and-mouse pursuit by MI6 agent Bianca Pullman (Bond girl Lashana Lynch) of an elite, shape-shifting assassin known as “the Jackal.” Like the 1973 classic film starring Edward Fox based on the same book, Jackal, which was recently renewed for a second season after huge critical acclaim, provides all the taut action of a good thriller as well as eye candy for the sartorial set—and it recently scored two Golden Globe nominations to prove it.
It’s high time we saw Redmayne sink his teeth into a part like this. With an OBE (Order of the British Empire) to his name and an Oscar for his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking, the actor, who attended the same posh prep school as Prince William, has at times been dismissed as not quite tough enough to take on the role of James Bond. However, The Day of the Jackal not only proves that Redmayne knows how to handle a sniper rifle, but that he can pull off the style necessary to fill the famous secret agent’s bespoke shoes.
“I wanted the Jackal to be elegant, calm, and economic,” Redmayne notes. “He glides through space like a knife through butter. For example, the gun you see constructed is beautifully designed and fits amazingly into a suitcase. I had to practice putting it together over and over again. I’d play Mozart to try and calm myself into not rushing while I constructed the thing.” He also spent weeks working with a 24-year veteran of the British Special Forces. “For several weeks in London, I learned about surveillance techniques. He showed me all of his tricks, all the old-school things”—including how to handle deadly weapons. “When you’re a sniper you’re looking down the barrel and looking in someone’s face,” Redmayne says, “you can’t deny humanity at the moment and yet somehow you have to be able to in order to take that shot.”
As for the Jackal’s wardrobe, costume designer Natalie Humphries conjured a sophisticated yet understated look for Redmayne, evolving from suede blousons to sleek trench coats along with refined Loro Piana caps, Borsalino hats, and tailored jackets from the likes of Brunello Cucinelli, plus accessories from Drake’s and bespoke suiting. The wardrobe mirrors the extraordinary care the Jackal devotes to his craft. “Along with reflecting a British sense of historical tailoring, we were mindful that the Jackal operates largely in Europe,” Humphries says. “Eddie and I wanted his wardrobe to reflect an old-world quiet luxury and looked to European cinema for reference. We worked with legendary men’s outfitters Knize in Vienna to create the building blocks for the Jackal’s daily casual looks. The Jackal, much like [Jay] Gatsby [of The Great Gatsby], has meticulously observed the codes of dress of the moneyed classes amongst whom he often operates in plain view.”
It’s not just the impeccable outfits and one-in-a-million sniper shots that have caught fans’ attention, but the Jackal’s numerous Omega wristwatches as well. Redmayne is a longtime Omega brand ambassador, but Omega is of course also the official watch of James Bond. The Jackal’s Seamaster Railmaster, crafted in stainless steel with a two-tone black textile strap, is the sniper’s constant companion in the field. The Seamaster Aqua Terra Shades, stainless steel with a sandstone-colored dial, keeps time while the Jackal is out with his gorgeous wife. But the most stunning model is the Globemaster, an 18-karat Sedna gold timepiece made from a mixture of gold, copper, silver and palladium that’s more durable than regular 18-karat gold.
The watches echo the impeccable craftsmanship of the Jackal’s other essential piece of kit. One night during filming, Redmayne practiced building a complex sniper rifle in his hotel suite and left it there when he went out for dinner. Halfway through, he realized that turndown service might find it. So, he ran upstairs to intercept them. “I rushed through the door, and there’s this gigantic sniper rifle overlooking the Budapest square,” he laughed. “I’m like, no I don’t need extra water or a chocolate by the bed! It was quite a moment.”
