Eddie Redmayne got to meet his on-screen character in new animated movie 'Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure'.

The Oscar-winning actor, who plays the part of Ryan in the new film, has revealed how ''absurdly excited'' he became after meeting a model of his character.

Eddie said: ''I got to meet my engine, which is amazing. When you go there, they sort of introduce you to a model of him. Your inner six-year-old is having a disco. It's amazing. Absurdly excited.

''But I was kind of upset that I didn't get to act alongside other actors. I know Olivia Colman was doing it. We crossed paths in the green room.''

Eddie also explained the unique challenges of playing a voice-only character.

He told Entertainment Weekly: ''I've never ever voiced any form of cartoon character in my life and it was an extraordinary thing.

''It's all the weirdness that you hear it is. You stand by yourself in a booth, and you have a Thomas voice coach, who specifically coaches everyone on how to adhere to the Thomas world.

''What was interesting was, having never really done a voice, I started by playing it quite naturalistic. I started off doing it quite simply, and quite close to my voice, and in the end I think I was about 17 octaves higher.''