“These random objects in front of me are my 10 essential items – caveated by the fact that not a single one of them is essential, but they’re just things I like,” says actor Eddie Redmayne as he lays out some of his favourite things for GQ. The Fantastic Beasts star counts Schweppes tonic water – the only one that makes the perfect vodka tonic – and Squares salt and vinegar crisps (“I feel that I know more about salt and vinegar crisps than I do about most things”), among his must-haves alongside more elevated items.

There’s the Omega Seamaster watch that he loves for its legacy and the Prada cardigan that he stole from a photoshoot and now takes on planes with him. “It’s multicoloured – I can’t tell quite how vibrant it is because of my colour blindness but it definitely makes me feel buoyant and happy when I wear it and it’s also like being given a gigantic hug,” he says. There’s the Cire Trudon candle, too, whose familiar smell – “When you light this candle you feel as though you’re in some Louis XIVth monastery and it transpires that that’s something I quite enjoy” — keeps him grounded when he’s travelling around.

Also making the list are more sentimental items; the tennis racket he’s had since he was 14 and still loves to play with; the paintbox and brushes he uses to pass the time on film sets; and his washbag, a post-Oscars ceremony gift that contains the aftershave he swears by to prevent ingrowing hairs and bumps – and the trusty VO5 Hair Paste he’s been relying on for years to give English hair a surfer look.

Click to find out which much-loved item he hasn’t been able to use for a while thanks to his Fantastic Beasts role, why playing tennis alongside Andy Murray and Tim Henman was a horrific experience and his step-by-step recipe to the perfect vodka tonic. [Source]