Eddie Redmayne has discussed his appearance in The Danish Girl, describing it as a mistake. The Danish Girl is a biopic based on the life of Lili Elbe, a transgender woman and one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery. Despite the criticism placed on the film upon release, it was a critical success, earning a slew of nominations and wins at major award ceremonies, including an Academy Award for Tomb Raider star Alicia Vikander who appeared opposite Redmayne as Lili’s partner Gerda Wegener.
Despite a starring role in the musical epic Les Misérables, Redmayne’s breakout performance was as Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, which earned the actor multiple prestigious awards, including wins in the Best Actor category at the Academy Awards, BAFTA’s, and Golden Globes. Whilst having several successful appearances in dramatizations under his belt, perhaps Redmayne’s most recognizable role is in Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and its subsequent sequels, where the actor stars as magizoologist Newt Scamander. Outside of his film work, Redmayne has recently returned to stage in the latest theatre revival of Cabaret, where the actor will star as the Emcee. Now, while looking back on his career, the actor has lamented his appearance in The Danish Girl.
During an interview with The Sunday Times, Redmayne has said that he thinks taking the role was a mistake. When asked if he would take the role if offered it today, Redmayne admitted he wouldn’t, and described his appearance as a trans character as a mistake. He elaborated, saying that “many people don’t have a chair at the table,” and until this is rectified “we are going to carry on having these debates.“
“No, I wouldn’t take it on now. I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake. 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.”
While it’s a topic that too often ends in political debate, Redmayne’s comments on the subject echo the voice of a community that just wants fair representation and, until that’s achieved, it’s something that needs to be constantly talked about. It’s strange that, while improper casting and unfair representation have been a topic of conversation for decades, it’s only recently that movie and TV producers are starting to get it right. That being said, Netflix shows like Sex Education, the Fear Street trilogy, and the excellent Harder They Fall have all managed to become fantastic pieces of inclusive fiction, proof that it’s possible to create great media while having proper representation.
Redmayne’s example of improper casting in The Danish Girl is, thankfully, slowly but surely becoming a thing of the past, but there’s still work to do. Just recently, Eternals producer Victoria Alonso responded to criticism of the film’s LGBTQ representation, with the film having gay characters, something she openly and quite rightly defended. While there will always be critics, as the likes of Netflix and movie titans such as Marvel become unafraid to include LGBTQ+ characters as standard, there’s hope that in the near future that everyone will, finally, feel properly represented.
