Eddie Redmayne Regrets His Role In ‘The Danish Girl’. Oscar Winner Eddie Redmayne addressed the controversy that followed his 2015 Oscar-nominated role, The Danish Girl, claiming his decision to play the transgender role in the drama was a ‘mistake’. Tom Hooper’s film The Danish Girl tells the story of Lili Elbe, one of the first people to have gender reassignment surgery. Although Redmayne was highly-praised for his performance, many critics argued the role belonged to trans actor, CNN reports.

The criticism, according to Redmayne, was legitimate. Accepting the post was a “mistake” despite his best intentions, and he would not have taken it if it had been offered today. During his preparation for a new West End production, the actor chatted to the Sunday Times.

“No, I wouldn’t take it on now,” the 39-year-old actor stated, adding, “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.”

In Cabaret, Redmayne will take on the role of Emcee. He requested that detractors refrain from passing judgment on his decision to perform a character that is frequently done by LGBT actors.

“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 said.