Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne believes it was a "mistake" to play the role of a transgender character in "The Danish Girl."
Redmayne earned an Oscar nomination for playing one of the first people to undergo gender reassignment surgery in the Tom Hooper-directed film, which is based on true events, according to Variety.
Despite its success, and Redmayne's convincing performance, there were demands at the time for the character to be played by a trans actor. Speaking with The Sunday Times about the role, Redmayne said he would not play the character 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 leveling, otherwise we are going to carry on having these debates," Redmayne added.
Redmayne is currently starring in a new production of "Cabaret" at London’s Playhouse Theatre and is also the lead of J.K. Rowling’s "Fantastic Beasts" franchise.
Despite working with Rowling, Redmayne has made it clear that he does not agree with her anti-trans comments. In 2020 Rowling drew backlash after posting several controversial tweets that had her labeled as "transphobic." She then defended her stance on the transgender community in a blog post, a link of which she shared to Twitter along with the words "TERF wars."
TERF stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist.
"As someone who has worked with both J.K. Rowling and members of the trans community, I wanted to make it absolutely clear where I stand," Redmayne said at the time. "I disagree with Jo’s comments. Trans women are women, trans men are men and non-binary identities are valid," he continued.
"I would never want to speak on behalf of the community but I do know that my dear transgender friends and colleagues are tired of this constant questioning of their identities, which all too often results in violence and abuse. They simply want to live their lives peacefully, and it’s time to let them do so."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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