Eddie Redmayne, who was nominated in 2015 for his role as Lili Elbe, a transgender woman in “The Danish Girl”, said it was a mistake and more debates around representation must be held.
The British actor spoke to the Sunday Times prior to the debut of the new West End production “Cabaret” and addressed the criticism he has received since the release of “The Danish Girl” in 2015 and the role he played, which later earned him an Oscar nomination.
He said the criticism was justified because even though he accepted the role with his best intentions, it was a complete mistake.
“I wouldn’t take it on now. 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”, said the 39-year-old actor.
The movie, directed by Tom Hooper, was inspired by the story of Elbe, one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery, and chose Redmayne for the leading role.
One of the harshest critics came from trans writer Carol Grant, who called the movie “transmisogynist” instead of letting it be a celebration.
Redmayne might be in the spotlight once more for playing an LGBTQ+ character, now on “Cabaret” in which he’ll play Emcee, a sexually ambiguous role; however, he pleads to see the play before any judgment.
“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.
