Eddie Redmayne On Why He Would Turn Down Trans Role In ‘The Danish Girl’ Movie Today

Eddie Redmayne thinks playing the role of a trans character in the 2015 film “The Danish Girl” was a mistake.

The 39-year-old Hollywood actor recently opened up to the Sunday Times about the Tom Hooper-directed movie and shared his thoughts on why he shouldn’t have accepted the role in the first place.

In the film, which was based on true events, Redmayne played the character of Lili Elbe, who was one the first in the world to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

The movie, which also starred Alicia Vikander, earned Redmayne an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. However, it was met with criticisms as some believed that the role should have been played by a transgender actor.

In his recent interview, the actor made it known that he now agrees with the criticisms he received back then. He also noted that if the role was offered to him at present, he would have easily turned it down.

“No, I wouldn’t take it on now. I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake,” he told the British newspaper.

Redmayne continued, “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.”

Interestingly, the Academy Award winner is currently playing the Master of Ceremonies in the new production of “Cabaret” at London’s Playhouse Theatre. The role was played multiple times by LGBTQ+ actors since the musical premiered in 1966, according to Variety.

Justifying why he accepted the role, Redmayne urged everyone to see him portray the character first before judging. He also stated that the character is someone who cannot be easily categorized.

“Of all the characters I’ve ever read, this one defies pigeonholing. I would ask people to come and see it before casting judgment,” he said.

Last year, Redmayne made headlines when he openly contradicted author J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans remarks even though he is currently the lead star of the latter’s “Fantastic Beasts” franchise.

“As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand, I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men, and non-binary identities are valid,” he was quoted as saying by Collider.