‘The Danish Girl’: The one movie Eddie Redmayne regrets making: “I think it was a mistake”
British actor Eddie Redmayne began his career in the theatre, earning praise for early performances in productions such as The Goat, Who Is Sylvia? and Now or Later. While continuing his stage career, Redmayne entered the world of cinema, rising to widespread prominence after appearing in 2011’s Les Misérables.
Despite being known for his quintessentially British persona, Redmayne has proved his acting versatility by starring in a wide variety of projects, from period dramas such as The Other Boleyn Girl and Elizabeth: The Golden Age and fantasy movies like the Fantastic Beasts trilogy in which he played the leading role of Newt Scamander.
Yet, before Redmayne took on the popular part, he was perhaps best known for his Academy Award-nominated roles in 2014’s The Theory of Everything and 2015’s The Danish Girl. While the actor won the ‘Best Actor’ accolade for the former, portraying Stephen Hawking as he is diagnosed with ALS, Redmayne has since discussed his regrets surrounding The Danish Girl.
The movie, directed by Tom Hooper, also known for helming The King’s Speech and Les Misérables, starred Redmayne as transgender artist Lili Elbe, who became one of the first people to receive gender-reaffirming surgery in the 1930s. She used her paintings to fund her surgeries, although she soon died from an infection caused by the transplantation of a uterus. She was the first person to ever receive a uterus transplant, hoping to be able to become pregnant.
Redmayne played the artist to high acclaim, also earning nods from the Baftas and Golden Globes, although the movie faced criticism for casting a cisgender man as Lili. Moreover, much of the content was challenged in its historical accuracy.
At the time of release, Redmayne defended the casting, telling IndieWire: “I hope – as an actor one hopes – that one should be able to play any sort of part if one plays it with a sense of integrity and responsibility.”
He also stated: “When I began to research around it, I thought it would be a great privilege to play her.”
However, looking back, Redmayne has questioned whether he should have accepted the part, telling The Sunday Times in 2021, “I made that film with the best intentions, but I think it was a mistake.”
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 levelling, otherwise, we are going to carry on having these debates.”
