British actor Eddie Redmayne has said
that he regrets taking a transgender role.
Redmayne, 39, played transgender artist
Lili Elbe in the 2015 film The Danish Girl. He was criticized
at the time for taking the role, with many critics arguing that it
should have gone to a transgender actor.
Speaking with The Sunday Times,
Redmayne called taking the role a “mistake,” adding that he
wouldn't accept it if it were offered to him today.
“No, I wouldn't take it on now,” 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 was also asked about his
upcoming role playing the sexually ambiguous Emcee in the musical
Cabaret in London's West End. The role has previously been
played by queer actors, including Joel Grey and Alan Cumming.
“Of all of the characters I've ever
read, this one defies pigeonholing,” he said. “I would ask people
to come and see it before casting judgment.”