Eddie Redmayne isn’t without regrets. In an interview with The Sunday Times, the actor discusses the outrage he received for playing Lili Elbe in the 2015 film The Danish Girl, who was one of the first persons to undergo gender confirmation surgery. Even at the time, Redmayne received backlash for playing a trans woman despite identifying as a cisgender guy himself.
He told The New York Times, “I did the video with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake.” Despite receiving an Oscar nod for his portrayal of Elbe, Redmayne stated that he “wouldn’t take it on anymore.”
In an interview with Insider, Alicia Vikander, who won an Oscar for portraying Elbe’s wife, Gerda Wegener, in The Danish Girl, spoke out about the controversy surrounding the film. Vikander acknowledged that Redmayne’s portrayal was “amazing,” but she also acknowledged that she understood the film’s criticism. “I completely understand the criticism,” she said, “because we need to create change and make sure that trans men and women can get a foot in the door and find a job.”
In recent years, there has been more public scrutiny of cisgender actors portraying transgender roles and Hollywood’s portrayal of trans identity in general, with films such as Netflix’s Disclosure putting a light on the industry’s influence on the trans community. Other previously praised performances, such as Jared Leto’s Oscar-winning role as Rayon, a drug-addicted, HIV-positive trans woman in 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club, and Jeffrey Tambor’s Emmy-winning role as transgender woman Maura Pfefferman in Transparent, have been reevaluated and criticized in recent years. Scarlett Johansson agreed to play a transgender man in the film Rub & Tug in 2018, but after encountering controversy, she dropped out, telling Vanity Fair that she “mishandled the circumstance.”
Redmayne goes on to mention a bigger debate in Hollywood about casting. “There’s a wider conversation about casting grievances because many individuals don’t have a seat at the table,” he continued. “There has to be a leveling; else, we’ll keep having these debates.”
Redmayne is presently in previews for his role as the Emcee in the West End production of Cabaret. While Redmayne’s casting has raised some questions due to the role’s queer-coded character and history of being played by LGTBQ+ performers, Redmayne is hopeful that fans would wait until they witness his performance before passing judgment. He added, “Of all the characters I’ve ever read, this one defies categorization.” “I would encourage folks to come to see it for themselves before passing judgment.”