The British star, 33, won the Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal in the film The Theory of Everything last night.
Speaking of the film, Eddie Redmayne said: "I'm one of those people, when I watch a film I believe what I see on screen. Our responsibility to tell their story truthfully and authentically - we felt it.
"It was... beyond every expectation, every dream you've ever had, so it was a really special moment."
Revd Simon Carter told Premier's News Hour: "A handful of minutes of seeing him on screen, it was hard to remember that you were watching an actor playing Stephen Hawking himself.
"It was a very impressive performance... He shows he can really do it when asked to."
Selma, a film which depicts Martin Luther King Jr and the US civil rights movement of the 1960s, won Best Original Song.
Revd Carter said of Selma: "It does feel a bit like a consolation prize when you pick up Best Original Song, but it was an absolutely super film.
"It's quite extraordinary how in the lifetime of many of us such things were going on in America and really some of the race relations issues that are happening today.
"When you think about what goes on on Paris Metros with Chelsea fans, Selma tells a story that we need to hear."
Listen to Revd Simon Carter on Premier's News Hour: