It was a ‘mistake’ to play trans woman in ‘The Danish Girl’, says actor Eddie Redmayne

Eddie Redmayne was nominated for Best Actor at the 2016 Academy Awards for his role in 'The Danish Girl'. Photos: AFP and Handout

“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.”

In Tom Hooper’s biographical film, Redmayne starred as Lili Elbe, one of the first known recipients of sex reassignment surgery. Criticism followed for casting a cisgender actor, rather than a trans woman, to play Elbe.