Eddie Redmayne will make his debut as the new J.K. Rowling hero in just two short weeks, when Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them is released. So he’s making the talk-show rounds, sharing appropriate anecdotes and the like. His recent appearance on Ellen naturally required that he make a fool of himself for host Ellen DeGeneres’ amusement/the audience’s chance at free tickets to his movie. After Redmayne shared a story of “tickling a niffler,” whatever that is, DeGeneres commanded him to act out impressions of various real-life animals.
Turns out, Redmayne’s not half-bad at the whole thing, though he apparently has trouble distinguishing between a pig’s snort and an elephant’s trumpet. Forget about a seal’s bark. But in the end, everyone was happy—the audience members got their precious movie tickets, Redmayne showed off a valuable skill, and DeGeneres remained comfortable in the knowledge that she can readily embarrass Oscar winners.