Eddie Redmayne lost to Leonardo DiCaprio in the race for the Best Actor Oscar in 2016. Redmayne was nominated for his role as a transwoman, Lili Elbe, in the 2015 film, The Danish Girl. The Cabaret actor’s casting sparked controversy, as he was a cis man playing a transwoman. Although both the actor and the director of the film defended their move at the time, it now appears that Redmayne regrets taking on this role.
Eddi Redmayne became a recognized name after playing Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, which won him a Best Actor Oscar. The Danish Girl also featured Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Sebastian Koch, alongside Redmayne.
Eddie Redmayne Realized His Mistake Of Taking On A Trans Role
When The Danish Girl was released in theaters, despite the incredible performances from the cast, it faced backlash due to Eddie Redmayne’s casting and historical inaccuracies. The film explores the story of Lili Elbe, the first known trans person to undergo a gender-reassignment surgery. The director of the film, Tom Hooper, addressed these controversies by stating that he had also cast trans people as cis characters in the movie.
Both the director and the actor, at the time, defended these casting choices and shared their belief that there should be no acting barriers for trans or cis actors. However, during an interview with The Sunday Times while promoting his film, Cabaret, Redmayne clarified that if he were offered the role today, he wouldn’t accept it. He further shared his realization that trans people should have been given their due representation. Redmayne told The Sunday Times:
“No, I wouldn’t take it on now. I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake… The bigger discussion about the frustrations around casting is because many people don’t have a chair at the table. There must be a leveling, otherwise, we are going to carry on having these debates.”
In an interview with IndieWire in 2015, Eddie Redmayne shared that the backlash against his casting was a result of the discrimination faced by trans people. He also noted that the film did not discriminate, highlighting the casting of Rebecca Root, a trans actor, as a cis nurse in the film.
Also Read: Eddie Redmayne Net Worth – How Much Money Did He Make from Fantastic Beasts?
Alicia Vikander Also Understood The Criticism Against The Movie
Alicia Vikander, who co-starred in the film, also validated the criticism surrounding the movie. While Vikander believed that Redmayne delivered a wonderful performance, she agreed that trans men and women should have equal work opportunities as their cis counterparts. Vikander shared with Insider:
“I totally understand the criticism that has been out there, because we need to make change and we need to make sure that trans men and women actually get a foot in and get work.”
However, she emphasized her director’s earlier point that there should not be any acting barriers for trans or cis actors in the future. Vikander further added in the Insider interview:
“My only concern is that we may need to get to a point in the end where we have trans women and men playing cis characters. Because that is the main thing, you know?”
Interestingly, Alicia Vikander won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Gerda Wegener in the film. Vikander was the only winner among the four nominations that the $64.2 million-grossing movie received. The Danish Girl is now available for rent on AppleTV+.
