Eddie Redmayne Finally Admits He Shouldn’t Have Been In ‘The Danish Girl’
It took six years for the cisgender actor to admit he shouldn't have taken on the trans role.
Eddie Redmayne has reflected on his Oscar-nominated role as trans historical icon Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl, admitting that it was “a mistake”.
The 2015 biopic followed the transition of Lili Elbe, one of the first known people to undergo gender affirmation surgery in Denmark.
eddie redmayne playing a trans woman and then later coming out in support for jkr for being a terf landed him on my list and idk what the list is but he’s atop it
— raya (@intoanewlife) November 21, 2021
At the time, many transgender people were vocally against Redmayne playing Elbe. Cisgender people being cast in trans roles perpetuates transphobia both within Hollywood and in the wider culture by allowing cis actors to take roles meant for trans actors, and by perpetuating the idea that trans people are merely cisgender people putting on a performance.
Redmayne is once again facing scrutiny for his latest stage role as Emcee, the quintessentially queer male lead in Cabaret.
In recent years, the role has typically been played by LGBT actors, including Joel Grey and Alan Cumming..
Speaking to these casting controversies in an interview published in The Sunday Times over the weekend, Redmayne reflected on his role in The Danish Girl. “No, I wouldn’t take it on now. I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake,” he said.
“The bigger discussion about the frustrations around casting is because many people don’t have a chair at the table. There must be a levelling, otherwise, we are going to carry on having these debates.”
The statements are diplomatic, perhaps even sincere. However, they also come in the wake of Redmayne’s public support of JK Rowling as she continues to publish transphobic content online.
While Redmayne has condemned her transphobic comments, he has also argued that the criticism Rowling endures is “equally disgusting”.
But just so we’re clear: trans people calling out transphobia is not in any way equal to an internationally acclaimed author using her platform to invalidate and harm transgender people.
Despite Redmayne’s acknowledgement that his role in The Danish Girl was a mistake, the statement doesn’t exactly align with past actions.