Back in 2015, actor Eddie Redmayne starred in the biographical drama The Danish Girl. This movie was set to tell the story of Lili Elbe, a painter who was one of the first known people to undergo gender reassignment surgery.
Redmayne took on the role of Elbe while the rest of the flick was filled with an all-star cast. Tomb Raider's Alicia Vikander played love interest Gerda Wegener, and Amber Heard, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Sebastian Koch stepped into supporting roles.
However, given the sensitive topic of the movie, many critics and viewers were frustrated that a transgender actor wasn't cast in the lead role. This backlash sparked an ongoing conversation about representation in Hollywood and spearheading straight individuals to tackle queer storylines. Now, six years after the movie's debut, Redmayne has revisited the criticism.
Eddie Redmayne Responds To The Danish Girl Backlash
In a conversation with The Sunday Times, Redmayne admitted that, given what he knows now, he wouldn't take the role. He shared, "I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake."
The actor went on to advocate for diversifying production teams. He added, "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."
His costar, Alicia Vikander, has also recently addressed the topic. Back in August, the Oscar-awarding-winning actor told 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." She continued, "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?"
Eddie Redmayne Will Next Star In Cabaret
Next on Redmayne's radar is playing the lead role of the Emcee in the dark musical Cabaret. The actor has hit the press trials, commenting on his nerves and excitement leading up to the opening night. In an interview with Vogue, he expressed, "In theater, I had such luck with new plays, such fun, and I have not always had that on film. I have done some catastrophically bad films and had some great experiences. In theater, I’ve always found wonderful alchemy.”
He went on to praise his experience as an actor, saying, “It’s the reason I love what I do, that rare moment when something becomes real. That’s the drug."
Cabaret will open on December 9 at the Playhouse Theatre in London’s West End, however, previews have already begun.