Eddie Redmayne Really Didn't Want to 'Butcher' “The Day of the Jackal” as the 'Biggest' Fan of the Original Movie (Exclusive)

The actor tells PEOPLE that being able to "subvert people's expectations" with this role has been "thrilling"

Warning: this post contains spoilers for The Day of the Jackal.

Eddie Redmayne knew that there was a lot riding on The Day of the Jackal.

Like any remake, the actor, 42, had his concerns about how the Peacock series would live up to Frederick Forsyth's 1971 novel and the 1973 film, in which Edward Fox plays the titular assassin.

"I'm the biggest f---ing fan of the original movie," Redmayne tells PEOPLE. "And even though this is a completely different beast, you don't want to butcher it."

Related: Eddie Redmayne Is 'Dreaming' About Where to Film The Day of the Jackal Season 2 After 'Chaotic' Finale (Exclusive)

Naturally, the fact that the series — which was renewed for a second season after only seven episodes had premiered and garnered two Golden Globe nominations — has been well received is a major relief for the actor.

"I'm thrilled that it's resonated," Redmayne says, before sharing why the role, which is a departure from his previous projects, enticed him despite the pressures.

"I'm an actor — what I love is doing different things, and if that can subvert people's expectations a bit, then that's thrilling," he says.

It helps that the Jackal himself is "fundamentally" an actor, too. "[That was] one of the things that I enjoyed most about this part," he says. "Rather than a reaching out for the character, I kept saying, 'Hey, if I was this guy' — other than having one eye stronger than the other so I'm a really s--- shot — I was like, 'How would I go about this? How would I manipulate the situation?'"

"I kept drawing him back to me, and so it's been a ton of fun," he continues. "It's also played into... I'm quite obsessive and meticulous, and so is the character, so I think they cast quite well on that."

Related: Eddie Redmayne Recalls His 'Trial and Error Experience' of Using Prosthetics on The Day of the Jackal: 'Sweat Oozing Out'

The 10-episode series, which came to an explosive conclusion with a two-episode finale on Dec. 12, also makes some major changes to the 1973 film, which Redmayne says was a "juggling act" to handle.

"The Jackal dies in the original movie, but it is so...shockingly abrupt, and that is kind of the genius of it. And that was something that everyone wanted to retain, even though we were shifting who was going to survive," he reveals, referring to the fact that the Jackal survives season 1, but Bianca (Lashana Lynch), the MI-6 agent who has been hunting him across Europe, dies.

"That was a thing to juggle. When an audience has spent 10 hours with a character — brilliantly played by Lashana — how do you retain the abruptness whilst also tipping your hat to her, to Bianca's tenacity and her compulsion?"

Redmayne's dad is also a big fan of the original movie, which added some extra pressure on the actor's shoulders, as he said on Late Night with Seth Meyers that his dad warned him, "Don't f--- it up."

At the time of the interview, Redmayne says his dad still "hasn't seen" the two-episode finale, so he's not sure if it will get the stamp of approval or not.

"It plays tonight in the UK.., so he hasn't seen it," he says."But he's been keeping me abreast each week on whether... So far I'm doing okay, but I'll let you know after I speak to him tonight."

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Season 1 of The Day of the Jackal can be streamed in full on Peacock.