Eddie Redmayne: It was a mistake to do ‘The Danish Girl’, ‘I wouldn’t take it on now’

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco present gifts to the disadvantaged at the Monegasque Red Cross office

Eddie Redmayne is currently doing press in the UK because he’s about to star in a West End revival of Cabaret. He’s playing the Emcee, the role made famous by Joel Grey in the film (Grey won an Oscar). Alan Cumming also won a Tony for the same role in the Broadway revival in the 1990s (which also originated in the West End). It’s a great role. This current revival has been built around Redmayne and Jessie Buckley as Sally Bowles. Redmayne is the biggest name, given that he’s won a slew of awards over his career already, including an Oscar.

As Redmayne was doing press for Cabaret, he was asked about his Oscar-nominated performance in The Danish Girl, where he played Lili, the first person to ever undergo gender confirmation surgery. While Eddie – at the time – tried to be very respectful of playing a transgender character, he is still a cisgender man and of course there was pushback and criticism at the time. The criticism has only grown in the six years since the film’s release. And Eddie apparently still feels bad about it.

Eddie Redmayne says taking on his Academy Award-nominated role as a trans character in the 2015 film The Danish Girl was a mistake. Redmayne, who played transgender artist Lili Elbe in the film, said he wouldn’t take that job if it was offered to him now. The role won him a Best Actor nomination.

Critics have complained that the role should have gone to a trans actress. Redmayne heard that and now agrees. Redmayne spoke to The Times of London about the issue while touting his stage performance in an upcoming version of Cabaret.

“No, I wouldn’t take it on 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.”

As for playing the Emcee in Cabaret, “I see him as a survivor who can shape-shift himself out of every situation.” The script of Cabaret doesn’t put a label on the Emcee, but the character is often played by LGBT actors, so Redmayne’s casting has come in for criticism. “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 says firmly.

[From Deadline & The Sunday Times]

I remember covering The Danish Girl issues at the time, and while Redmayne absolutely showed the trans community respect and he came into it wanting to honor Lili and the community, there was still a lot of justified pushback at the time. Redmayne always acknowledged that too, and he’s expressed his qualms for years. I appreciate that he says now that he wouldn’t do it again. There are larger problems though, problems with Hollywood and how they cast roles, and problems with empowering anti-trans voices. And yes, it’s a little bit crazy that once again, the cisgender straight guy was cast in a role usually given to LGBTQ actors (the Emcee).

88th Annual Academy Awards 2016 - Arrivals

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, The Danish Girl.

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22 Responses to “Eddie Redmayne: It was a mistake to do ‘The Danish Girl’, ‘I wouldn’t take it on now’”

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  1. Nanny to the Rescue says:

    I’m not familiar with Emcee and Cabaret, so just checking if I got this right?
    He now regrets taking a role away from trans people while at the same time taking a role away from LGBT+ people?

    • Amy Bee says:

      @Nancy: It would seem so.

      • Blahblah says:

        I care deeply about everyone having opportunities, but the Emcee is the most amorphous character there is. People haven’t tried out new things with that character in so long, and 99% of the time just keep ripping off Alan Cumming. The Emcee is meant to be an audience stand-in, as well as a narrator. I know he’s a queer icon for many, but equally as many wouldn’t have ever thought of him that way/

    • PPP says:

      The problem I have with this kind of criticism is it assumes the sexuality of people in an industry where coming out can still ruin your career.

    • I have always considered the Emcee pansexual but also not sexual in human terms – like an erotic fairy of the “good folk” persuasion.
      Like if Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night’s Dream had a sex Emcee

  2. Amy Bee says:

    People should watch the documentary called Disclosure. It’s on Netflix and it gives a good explanation as to why trans roles should go to trans people.

  3. Blahblah says:

    I care deeply about everyone having opportunities, but the Emcee is the most amorphous character there is. People haven’t tried out new things with that character in so long, and 99% of the time just keep ripping off Alan Cumming. The Emcee is meant to be an audience stand-in, as well as a narrator. I know he’s a queer icon for many, wouldn’t have ever thought of him that way/

  4. Piratewench says:

    The emcee sings “two ladies” and “if you could see her through my eyes”… both heterosexual themed songs. He is totally amorphous and maybe bisexual would be the best term, but definitely not straight-up gay.
    He’s also very ethereal and I think the casting here is good.

  5. Lightpurple says:

    When I think of the Emcee, I think of Joel Grey, who at the time the film was made was not out as a gay man.

  6. Wilma says:

    At the time my brother was struggling with body dysmorphia and I wondered how traumatic it would be for a trans woman to have to appear as male. We should have more happy parts for trans people to play.

    • Miranda says:

      It’s just like how “prestige” roles for PoC are disproportionately in films portraying the most tragic or painful parts of their history (slavery, the civil rights movement, etc) This sort of thing has been a huge problem since the earliest days of cinema, and it’s sad that, over a century later, we’re still dealing with it. In the case of queer characters, I think it used to be part of the “looser” incarnation of the Production Code that homosexuality was only allowed to be portrayed if the character was miserable and/or depraved. The Code may be gone, but I think that one still holds true to some extent.

      I do hope that your brother has pulled everything together and has found happiness now.

  7. TeamMeg says:

    He’s a very good actor, of course, and would make a terrific Emcee, but these are real issues in the film industry and if he’s serious about having Danish Girl regrets, he might want to consider stepping away from Cabaret. Are there no opportunities in Hollywood to play an interesting, able-bodied, straight & cis-gendered white male character?

    • Blahblah says:

      It’s a stage role in London, not a film, and he’s doing half the run. I’m pretty sure they’ll look for a queer actor to do the other half of the run.

      • TeamMeg says:

        Oh! I did not read carefully. That sounds more reasonable. And as I said, I bet he’ll be terrific. Break a leg ER.

  8. I have always considered the Emcee pansexual but also not sexual in human terms – like an erotic fairy of the “good folk” persuasion.
    Like if Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night’s Dream had a sex Emcee

  9. Lester Bangs says:

    The Emcee is not a canonically gay character. A Queer icon and canonical gay character are different things.

  10. Mia4s says:

    HE’S playing the Emcee??

    Look even aside from the LGBTQ factor he is just so…dull? Totally lacks sexual allure or at least an air of daring. He’s cute at most. Not a bad actor but, wow, what a boring choice. 😴

  11. Scout says:

    Besides apologizing I hope Eddie finds a way to positively impact the communit…(finishes reading article) ..wait what?

  12. 2lazy4username says:

    The Emcee role has never been clearly defined as gay; in fact, it has never been clearly defined as anything in particular. It’s a voice, a presence, a narrator, a guide, eyes.

  13. Mina says:

    It is called acting. So now actors are completely boxed in to whatever roles they were born into and can’t even “act” and play a character outside themselves. And basically now all actors have to disclose their sexuality/orientation to “prove” they have a right to play a role. This is getting ridiculous.

  14. Ry says:

    Acting Is acting. Maybe I’m pragmatic as hell but he did a good job. But, sure, spread the roles around.
    Let’s not forget a good acting job oscstill what it is.
    Why backtrack now? Cancelation phobia. I just coined that lol. But it is
    true.
    I look at movies as escape; not a science that is exact.